2017_EVs_Final2-1-1

2017 Annual Review NC CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CENTER February 2018 The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: 2017 Policy Review | 1 AUTHORS John Bonitz, Clean Transportation Specialist Heather Brutz, Clean Transportation Program Manager Stefani Buster, JD, Energy Policy Volunteer Allison Carr, Clean Transportation Specialist Brian Lips, Senior Policy Project Manager Autumn Proudlove, Manager of Policy Research The NC Clean Energy Technology Center is a UNC System-chartered Public Service Center administered by the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University. Its mission is to advance a sustainable energy economy by educating, demonstrating and providing support for clean energy technologies, practices, and policies. The Center provides service to the businesses and citizens of North Carolina and beyond relating to the development and adoption of clean energy technologies. Through its programs and activities, the Center envisions and seeks to promote the development and use of clean energy in ways that stimulate a sustainable economy while reducing dependence on foreign sources of energy and mitigating the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use. CONTACT Autumn Proudlove (afproudl@ncsu.edu) Heather Brutz (hmbrutz@ncsu.edu) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank Tom Stanton of the National Regulatory Research Institute for his review of a draft of this report. PREFERRED CITATION North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: 2017 Policy Review, February 2018. COVER DESIGN CREDIT Cover design is by Capital City Creative. DISCLAIMER While the authors strive to provide the best information possible, neither the NC Clean Energy Technology Center nor NC State University make any representations or warranties, either express or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of the information. The NC Clean Energy Technology Center and NC State University disclaim all The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: 2017 Policy Review | 2 liability of any kind arising out of use or misuse of the information contained or referenced within this report. Readers are invited to contact the authors with proposed corrections or additions. PREVIOUS EDITIONS AND OTHER 50 STATES REPORTS In addition to The 50 States of Electric Vehicles, the NC Clean Energy Technology Center publishes two additional quarterly reports entitled The 50 States of Grid Modernization and The 50 States of Solar. Full versions of these reports, as well as annual subscriptions, may be purchased at https://commerce.cashnet.com/NCSU-NCCETC. Previous editions of The 50 States of Grid Modernization are available for download at www.nccleantech.ncsu.edu/the-50-states-reports/ or by clicking here:  Q4 2017: Executive Summary  Q3 2017: Full Report | Executive Summary  Q2 2017: Full Report | Executive Summary  Q1 2017: Full Report | Executive Summary Previous editions of The 50 States of Solar are available for download at www.nccleantech.ncsu.edu/the-50-states-reports/ or by clicking below.  Q4 2017 and 2017 Policy Review – Executive Summary  Q3 2017 Executive Summary  Q2 2017 Executive Summary  Q1 2017 Executive Summary  Q4 2016 and 2016 Policy Review – Executive Summary  Q3 2016 Executive Summary  Q2 2016  Q1 2016  Q4 2015 and 2015 Policy Review  Q3 2015  Q2 2015  Q1 2015  Q4 2014 The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: 2017 Policy Review | 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS 5 OVERVIEW . 6 PURPOSE 6 APPROACH . 6 Questions Addressed 6 Actions Included 6 TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION IN THE U.S. 8 OVERVIEW OF 2017 POLICY CHANGES 9 Table 1. Summary of Electric Vehicle Actions (2017) 9 Figure 1. Legislative and Regulatory Action on Electric Vehicles (2017) . 9 Figure 2. Most Active States of 2017 .10 Figure 3. Most Active States of 2017, By Action Status .11 Figure 4. 2017 Action on Electric Vehicles, by Number of Actions .12 Figure 5. Most Common Types of Actions Taken in 2017 13 Box 1. Top Electric Vehicle Policy Trends of 2017 .14 STUDIES AND INVESTIGATIONS 15 Figure 6. Action on Electric Vehicle Studies and Investigations (2017) 15 Box 2. Categorizing Studies and Investigations .16 Table 2. Updates on Electric Vehicle Studies these types of actions are tracked in the 50 States of Grid Modernization report series. The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: 2017 Policy Review | 8 TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION IN THE U.S. In 2016, greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector surpassed electric power sector emissions for the first time since the late 1970s. This gap continued to grow in 2017, with the transportation sector being the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the U.S. (when compared to electric power, residential, commercial, industrial, and manufacturing sectors.) Although this shift is based on many factors, it underscores the need to improve the efficiency and emissions profiles of the transportation sector. One approach to this concern has been to increase the use of electricity for providing transportation sector energy, while simultaneously shifting electricity generation toward cleaner sources. The U.S. Electric Vehicle Market In 2017, approximately 200,000 electric vehicles were sold in the US, the most yet for any year in the U.S. electric vehicle market. 1 As electric vehicle battery prices drop, and driving range and performance improve, more vehicle manufacturers are announcing the launch of new, all- electric vehicle models. In 2017, major vehicle manufacturers, including Daimler, Volkswagen, General Motors, Volvo, and Ford, made announcements on the release and development of all- electric vehicles. 2 Many automakers are also focusing on expanding their production of electric cars with more moderate prices, while also electrifying high-end models. Beyond price, charging infrastructure availability and range anxiety * remain barriers to consumer adoption of electric vehicles. As battery technology and associated vehicle designs and technologies improve, vehicle ranges are increasing, but charging infrastructure build-out remains a deterrence to greater market acceptance in most parts of the country. While market factors play a large role in this, legal and regulatory barriers are also affecting the pace and location of infrastructure development. Electric Vehicles and the Grid Although electric vehicle sales represent only approximately 1% of all light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S., states and electric utilities are already examining the potential impacts of and opportunities for electric vehicles on the grid. The integration of electric vehicles into the electric system is a growing field of research, including vehicle-to-grid technologies, grid demand management, renewable energy integration, and more. Many utilities are currently exploring the potential for electric vehicles to impact load growth in the future, to provide ancillary services, and to provide opportunities for customer engagement. Although other uses for electricity are not growing rapidly, and some are even projected to stay flat or decline in the coming years, transportation electrification appears to be a major potential growth area for utility companies, causing an increasing number of utilities to focus on what they can do to invest in and benefit from this growth. * “Range anxiety” refers to the fear that an electric vehicle will run out of power before reaching the destination or a charging station. The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: 2017 Policy Review | 9 OVERVIEW OF 2017 POLICY CHANGES Table 1 provides a summary of state actions related to electric vehicles occurring during the entirety of 2017. Of the 227 actions catalogued, the most common were those related to regulation (70), followed by financial incentives (53), and market development (36). The actions occurred across 43 states plus DC in 2017 (Figure 1). Box 1 highlights some of the key actions of 2017, described in greater detail in the following sections. Table 1. Summary of Electric Vehicle Actions (2017) Type of Action # of Actions % by Type # of States Regulation 70 31% 34 Financial Incentives 53 23% 19 + DC Market Development 36 16% 17 Studies and Investigations 27 12% 20 + DC Deployment 24 11% 17 + DC Rate Design 17 7% 13 + DC Total 227 100% 43 States + DC Note: The “# of States/ Districts” total is not the sum of the rows because some states have multiple actions. Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100%. Figure 1. Legislative and Regulatory Action on Electric Vehicles (2017) The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: 2017 Policy Review | 10 Over three-quarters of U.S. states took action related to electric vehicles in 2017. California and New York took the greatest number of actions during the year, followed by Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey (see Figure 2.) Each state focused on different aspects of electric vehicles, from conducting studies to developing incentive programs and deploying charging infrastructure. Figure 2. Most Active States of 2017 0 5 10 15 20 25 Utah Nevada Missouri Illinois Arizona Maryland Michigan Hawaii Washington Florida Connecticut Rhode Island Oregon New Jersey Minnesota Massachusetts New York California # of Actions Studies & Investigations Regulation Rate Design Market Development Incentives Deployment