Utilities have a Vital Role in Advancing Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Through the VW Settlement

The VW Settlement provides a rare opportunity to accelerate efforts to electrify the transportation sector. Although this paper focuses on ZEV opportunities, the authors describe the range of potential programs available to states to present a more complete picture of the options open to state commissions and utilities. State PUCs are positioned to play a larger role in overseeing plans that pursue a ZEV strategy that requires the development of substantial EV infrastructure than in mitigating pollution by using the funds to clean up existing sources of pollution. The paper argues that the electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure gap needs to be closed for this market transformation to occur and that electric utilities and public utility commissioners can play a critical role in addressing this gap.