Plan before the ACC will boost accessibility of electric vehicles

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electric vehicle owners, and those considering the purchase of an electric vehicle, stand to benefit from APSs Energy Efficiency proposal currently before the Arizona Corporation Commission. That proposal includes:

Outfitting new homes with pre-wiring for vehicle charging outlets;
Helping Arizona businesses and cities electrify their fleet;
Providing free electric buses and charging stations to select school districts;
Increasing the number of charging stations; and
Placing charging stations in multi-family housing locations.
Customers drawing energy from APS will have the added satisfaction of knowing that half of the energy produced by APS is already carbon-free. A study by Edison Electric Institute predicts the number of electric vehicles on U.S. roads will reach seven million by 2025. Five million charging stations will be required to support those vehicles. As more Arizonans choose electric vehicles, APSs proposal is to begin installing the infrastructure required for electric vehicles to become commonplace in Arizona.

"Arizonans want to embrace electric vehicles, but lack of a charging infrastructure for the new vehicles is a hurdle to adoption," said Marc Romito, Director of Customer Technology at APS. "Many questions remain: Where can you charge if you live in an apartment? How do you get new charging stations installed? Will charging stations require complicated upgrades to a customers electrical system?

"Our Energy Efficiency plan addresses these infrastructure questions and would enable the electric vehicle market to take an exciting step forward, while also saving EV owners money and keeping energy dollars in the Arizona economy. Using APSs recently approved Super Off-Peak and Off-Peak Time-of-Use rates, residential customers would be able to charge their vehicles for the gasoline cost equivalent of 30 to 90 cents per gallon."

The Energy Efficiency plan can be viewed in its entirety here.

APS serves about 2.7 million people in 11 of Arizonas 15 counties, and is the Southwests foremost producer of clean, safe and reliable electricity. Using a balanced energy mix that is nearly 50 percent carbon-free, APS has one of the countrys cleanest energy portfolios, including both Palo Verde Generating Station and renewable energy. The company is also a proven leader in introducing technology and services that offer customers choice and control over their energy consumption. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).