[G]reen Mountain Power is expanding a program that provides owners of electric vehicles with free chargers and in return allows the utility to make use of the same technology to bring down energy costs for ratepayers.
The state’s largest electric utility began the pilot program in October 2017, and so far has provided 120 chargers to electric vehicle owners throughout the state.
This month, FLO, a company that operates an electric vehicle charging network in Canada, announced it was joining with Green Mountain Power in a partnership that will provide Vermont households with 50 additional chargers.
Electric vehicle owners who participate in the utility’s program receive a free charger but also agree to let GMP draw power from the chargers during times of peak energy needs.
“When energy is being the most used and is the most expensive, they will allow GMP to put power from their home chargers back onto the grid, which will then lower that cost for all customers,” Green Mountain Power spokesperson Kristin Carlso said Monday.
Electric vehicle use in Vermont has climbed sharply in recent years.
At the beginning of 2018, there were more than 2,300 electric cars registered in Vermont, according to Drive Electric Vermont, a coalition of policymakers, industry leaders, and citizens dedicated to promoting electric transportation.
In January 2016, that number was a little more than 1,000.
Dave Roberts, the coordinator of Drive Electric Vermont, said he expects the number of electric vehicles on Vermont’s roads to increase.
“We definitely anticipate seeing strong growth in the future,” he said. “Incentives are definitely a key part of that conversation.”
Roberts said that the cost of the charger GMP provides to electric vehicle owners is between $600 and $700.
Known as a “level two charger,” it is more powerful and efficient than the level one chargers most electric vehicles are equipped with when they’re sold, he said.
Other utilities also offer incentives, Roberts said. The Burlington Electric Department offers $1,200 rebates for purchases of all-electric vehicles, and $600 rebates for hybrid vehicles.
Most of the electric vehicles in Vermont are hybrids, according to Drive Electric Vermont data. Only 25 percent operate on electricity alone.
Roberts said in the coming years auto manufacturers will be making more electric vehicles with all-wheel drive, which likely will increase their popularity in Vermont.
Lawmakers this session are considering a bill containing a provision that would instruct the Public Utility Commission to look into levying a tax or fee for electric vehicle users. The bill, H.917, is before the Senate Finance Committee.
Roberts said there already have been three separate studies of the issue, between 2012 and 2016.
Schemes for raising revenue on electric vehicles have included an extra registration fee, a surcharge on the kilowatt hours used for charging them, or a fee drivers would be required to pay based on miles traveled in the vehicle, he said.
“It’s an issue that does keep coming up and it would be nice to kind of find a path forward and put it to rest. Anything that helps advance that conversation, I think is a good thing,” Roberts said.
Drivers of electric vehicles still pay a purchase and use tax on new vehicles. Drivers of hybrid vehicles also pay gas taxes.
Carlson said Green Mountain Power will be considering whether to make its electric vehicle charger program permanent.
She said the power company has built a large statewide network of chargers as well.
“I think that the future for electric vehicles and for customers who are interested is pretty strong,” she said.
