Electric Transportation 101

Industry Facts

[UPDATE]

Market transformation is underway and electric transportation is expanding quickly:

• At the end of 2019, nearly 1.4 million EVs were on the road in the United States—double the amount in mid-2017.
• In 2019, new light-duty EVs added 920 gigawatt-hours in annual energy load to the U.S. grid.
• Global EV sales are accelerating, particularly in Europe and China.
• The diversity of products is growing quickly. In the United States, a total of 46 EV models are available, including recent releases of crossovers, trucks, and sports utility vehicles.
• Dozens of EV applications for commercial and industrial fleets are emerging, including deployments of electric garbage trucks, transit buses, and school buses.
• The density of public charging infrastructure is increasing. Utilities are proposing more than $3 billion worth of infrastructure projects.
• Over the past decade, battery costs have fallen by more than 80%.
• By 2024, EVs are expected to reach price parity with gasoline-fueled vehicles.

Benefits for Society, Time-Sensitive Action

[TAKE OUT QUESTIONS / ADD EV BENEFITS FROM CONSUMER GUIDES]

According to an EPRI-Natural Resources Defense Council study, widespread electric transportation powered by a cleaner grid has the potential to reduce greenhouse gases by as much as 77% between 2015 and 2050. However, EV market transformation is time-sensitive: Because cars sold today are expected to last an average of about 12 years—with many lasting a decade longer—postponing the scale-up of EVs could result in missing 2030 climate targets.

Another challenge for utilities is that tapping into the benefits of electric transportation can be a complicated endeavor, requiring multi-faceted expertise and the ability to track a rapidly changing landscape. Key questions include:

• How are individuals, businesses, and municipalities using electric vehicles (EVs), and how do these uses vary regionally?
• What do customers want from their utilities regarding EV-related programs?
• What is the status of EV-related standards and how it is expected to evolve?
• What new EVs are being released, what are their capabilities, how many have been sold and where—and what are the likely grid implications of all of this?
• What charging infrastructure is needed and where?
• Which of the hundreds of press releases about new technologies, products, and partnerships matter?