August 30, 2021: Last month, Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) approved a landmark electric vehicle charging program, with an emphasis on making charging more accessible to underserved communities, including at workplaces and apartment buildings.
The nine-year statewide charging infrastructure deployment program, which will launch on January 1, 2022, aims to facilitate the adoption of 500,000 electric vehicles in Connecticut by 2030, consistent with the recommendations of the Governor's Council on Climate Change to achieve the climate targets set by the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) to reduce emissions 45 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. It will also help enable the state to achieve its commitment to deploy between 125,000 and 150,000 EVs by 2025 through the State Zero-Emission Vehicle Programs Memorandum of Understanding (ZEV MOU).
The program addresses critical market segments and barriers to deploying EV charging infrastructure by including incentives for charging at multi-unit dwellings and workplaces, light-duty fleet charging, direct current fast charging (DCFC) and destination Level 2 charging, and residential single-family charging. PURA has also directed utilities to propose a demand charge alternative, a load management program, and an education and outreach plan to be implemented at program launch. The program will offer increased incentives for charging infrastructure in underserved communities, including environmental justice communities and public housing developments. In addition, PURA has initiated a study to be conducted by Rocky Mountain Institute to examine potential transportation electrification mobility solutions for low and medium-income communities in Connecticut, with a final report and recommendations anticipated later this year.
This approval comes after a nearly two year stakeholder process, which included electric utilities; Connecticut agencies including DEEP and OCC; the CT Green Bank; charging infrastructure companies including Greenlots, Chargepoint, EVgo; and environmental groups such as Sierra Club and Save the Sound. Sierra Club’s involvement was led by associate attorney Sarah Krame.