Charging Minnesota's Electric Vehicles; Strategies that Work for the Electric Grid and Consumers
Electric vehicles (EVs) play an important role in Minnesota’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, if not managed well, EV charging could strain the electricity grid and increase costs for Minnesota’s electric utility customers. Conversely, if EVs charge primarily during hours when the grid has excess capacity, the costs imposed on the grid will be minimized, and EVs will help reduce electricity costs for all customers by spreading the fixed costs of the grid over greater electricity sales. The extent to which EVs will impact electricity costs will largely depend on whether customers have an incentive to shift their charging away from peak demand hours.
Synapse developed this report to assess the potential energy and peak demand impacts from a range of possible EV adoption scenarios, examine how Minnesota’s electric utilities are promoting greater adoption of EVs while mitigating the associated impacts on the electric system, and provide recommendations for program improvements based on industry best practices and lessons learned from other jurisdictions. This report provides decision-makers with recommended modifications to existing utility Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) programs to enhance the effectiveness of EV programs in Minnesota.
You can find a recording of the presentation online here.