The penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) has grown rapidly in the U.S. Many states have set ambitious EV adoption goals. Additionally, the increased adoption of EVs will help reduce the transportation sector emissions in a utility's service territory. Detailed analysis of the impacts of EVs on distribution feeders will help utilities make intelligent investment decisions to upgrade the distribution system equipment (e.g., transformers, distribution wires, and protection systems).

Over the past five years, Baltimore Gas and Electric's (BGE) EVsmart portfolio, comprised of residential, commercial, and BGE-operated programs, has pursued goals in alignment with the state's policy directives. BGE’s pilot was designed to coordinate seamlessly with state policy initiatives, driving towards a future when internal combustion engine cars are no longer sold in the state.

To accommodate EV charging infrastructure, Pepco Holdings (PHI) developed a public, customer-facing map to visualize EV load capacity. The capacity on different feeders helps identify areas with reasonable capacity to host EV charging infrastructure and areas with constraints that would need equipment or system upgrades. PHI has worked with several partners to utilize multiple data sources to estimate the load impacts of EV adoption with different EV types and charging scenarios. These studies broadly include medium-heavy duty fleet charging at depot, commercial charging along highway corridors, and light-duty residential EV charging at home and public charging stations.

In this panel, experts from Exelon Corporation, Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Pepco Holdings (PHI), and Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) will discuss EV growth and challenges in Maryland and Illinois. Panelists will approach the problem from the aspects of customer, planning, and long-term strategic points of view.

Key Takeaways:

• Current and future trends of state-level EV adoption and regulatory drivers and challenges
• Data collection and application challenges
• EV adoption forecasts and projections from markets, technology, load profiles, and customer behavior studies
• TOU rates and tariff design for EV customers
• Future distribution planning and design practices to accommodate EVs, and the investment challenges related to capacity, reliability, resilience, and supporting infrastructure