Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU) announced it is in the initial stages of developing an electric charging infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
In a recent application for a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant, two NU operating companies, The Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) and Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO), are proposing to build a network of 575 charging stations over the next two years.
The plan calls for a geographically diverse combination of home-based, workplace and publicly-accessible sites in the utilities’ existing service territories. The companies are collaborating with New England-based Environment Northeast, the Greater New Haven Clean Cities Coalition, and the Town of West Hartford, Conn., on key aspects of the project including location selection and results monitoring.
“As the next
generation of vehicles gets introduced, likely late in 2010, we want to
be sure that New England is among the first markets," said James B. Robb, NU senior vice president of enterprise planning and development. "The development of a charging infrastructure is important, both to support the adoption of these exciting new vehicles and to allow us to assess the impact on our electric distribution system.”
NU has been working with the Electric Power and Research Institute (EPRI) in a collaborative effort to understand the utility impacts of plug-in electric vehicles. As part of NU’s strategies for carbon reduction and sustainability, the company has several other forward-looking initiatives under way. In particular, the EV charging network complements the Smart Grid pilots at CL&P and WMECO, and is consistent with the planned expansion of company energy efficiency programs.
The DOE’s decision is expected in June 2009. NU’s application requested federal funding of $693,750 which is 50% of the project’s total estimated cost of $1,387,500.
“This is an initial proposal and we will be developing more specifics of the program over the summer, including substantial outreach to various stakeholders to help us maximize the impact of the grant,” Robb said. “We are also examining opportunities to participate with other stakeholders in additional federal grant opportunities to advance the electrification of transportation.”
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