In an unforeseen upside to the electric-power market crisis of 2001, a new proposed legal settlement between utility NRG and the California Public Utilities Commission would bring more than $100 million in new electric-vehicle charging infrastructure to the state.
Under the terms of the settlement, announced Friday by the commission and the Greenlining Institute, an advocacy group, NRG would be installing at least 200 public fast-charging stations and the infrastructure for 10,000 plug-in units at about 1,000 locations across the state. Some of the new equipment would go to low-income neighborhoods, where such infrastructure is in very short supply.
The plan was submitted Friday to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which must approve the plan.
The Los Angeles Basin would receive 110 fast-charging “freedom stations” under the plan, as well as other infrastructure. San Francisco would receive 55 stations, San Diego 20, and the San Joaquin Valley 15. Twenty percent of all the new gear for electric vehicles, or EVs, would go to low-income areas.
“It’s really exciting, and I think it could be a real game changer in California,” said Nancy Ryan, deputy executive director for policy at the Public Utilities Commission. “A lot of automakers are preparing to introduce EVs. We’ve got the [Nissan] Leaf and the [Chevy] Volt on the market right now, but there’s quite a few more that are supposed to come in next year. We hope it’ll help the automakers sell cars: There’s going to be a lot of infrastructure in California. If you buy an EV, you’re going to be able to get around.”
In 2001, a series of blackouts and brownouts across the state revealed the vulnerability of the grid to manipulation by unscrupulous traders and led to new scrutiny of spot markets and the long-term power contracts signed the state. One of the most egregious offenders, Texas-based Enron, later famously imploded in one of the biggest corporate accounting scandals in U.S. history.
The Public Utilities Commission began, Ryan said, “vigorously litigating and pursuing settlements” to regain money paid by the state and utility customers, and has settled dozens of suits in the last 10 years.
This one, however, is different. The commission’s case was originally against Dynegy, whose assets were later purchased by NRG.
“In virtually all of the other cases, we’ve settled for cash,” Ryan said. “This was a truly unique set of circumstances where the successor company for Dynegy, NRG, was considering coming into California to provide EV charging services; they have a business in Texas to do that already, and they were buying the California market. They approached the commission and proposed an in-kind settlement.”
“Some of the new equipment would go to low-income neighborhoods, where such infrastructure is in very short supply.”
Colossal ignorance.
This idea of putting charging stations in low-income areas is brilliant. Only in California, and maybe Colorado, could such an idea come up. People living in low-income areas can not afford EVs. This should be true no matter how stupid the reasoning of governments. Thus EVs will be in those areas as gifts from the government or as thefts from areas of higher economic level.
Car thieves are going to love the consideration of the morons who run government in CA. This will increase the market value for stolen EVs.
I really do not see EV’s becoming significant theft risks. It’s probably more likely that the charging stations get vandalized and/or looted for the copper.
Supposedly rate payers, who drove gasoline cars, were ripped off by Dynegy. Now the beneficiaries of the settlement are the handful of people that drive EV’s? Well I guess that is better than “The Public Utilities Commission” pocketing all of the cash as they doubtlessly normally would do.