Edison Electric Institute Announces Formation of the National Electric Highway Coalition
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is a trade association that represents all of the major electric utilities operating in the United States. Its members directly employ over one million workers and provide electricity to roughly 220 million Americans. On December 7th, the EEI announced the formation of the National Electric Highway Coalition (NEHC), which will facilitate the build-out of electric vehicle charging stations alongside major U.S. highways. The new coalition merges the Midwest Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Collaboration, the Electric Highway Coalition, and other participating electric utilities.
The EEI estimates that 22 million EVs will be operating on U.S. roads by 2030 and that over 100,000 fast charging ports will be needed to refuel them during extended travel, a tenfold increase over the 10,000 that are currently in service. The new coalition includes 51 investorowned companies, one electric cooperative, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. It hopes to get out ahead of EV adoption, providing infrastructure for an adequate number of high voltage Level 3 chargers by the end of 2023. EEI members have already invested over 3 billion dollars in similar projects.
EEI President Tom Kuhn understands that electrifying ground transportation is an invaluable strategy for reducing tailpipe CO2 and that the NEHC will play a central role in that noble endeavor. “By merging and expanding the existing efforts underway to build fast charging infrastructure along major travel corridors, we are building a foundational charging network that will help to encourage more customers to purchase an electric vehicle,” said Kuhn. “We owe a great debt of gratitude to the electric companies that created so
much momentum at the regional level, paving the way for us to extend this effort nationally.”
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill recently signed by President Biden includes $7.5 billion earmarked for charging infrastructure that will mostly be administered by the states. The NEHC’s EV infrastructure program will be closely coordinated with those efforts.
Electricity providers are poised to capitalize on the superior energy efficiency of EVs, along with auto consumers. The EEI website points out that “EV drivers spend the equivalent of about $1.20 dollars per gallon, based on average residential electric rates.” Roughly 80% of EV charging is currently being done at home, usually while the owner is asleep. Public charging will become even less frequent as EV range figures continue to increase, but will always be necessary when traveling far from home.
As EV adoption continues to accelerate, it is becoming increasingly clear that Level 2 AC charging at 240 volts will mostly be used to steadily refuel EVs when they are parked anyway for extended periods of time, typically at home or at work. Public charging will favor Level 3 DC ports that use higher voltages to speed the delivery of electric fuel. EV adoption will stall without the widespread proliferation of these strategically placed, high voltage charging stations. The NEHC appears determined to get them built quickly.