National Grid Enhances Electric Vehicle Leadership
Business Commits to New Charging Infrastructure and Leads on Research
WALTHAM, MA, September 26, 2018 /3BL Media/ – National Grid has set a new goal for electric vehicle (EV) public charging infrastructure as a meaningful step toward reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector. Additionally, Dean Seavers, President of National Grid, US, as co-chair of the Alliance to Save Energy’s 50x50 Commission on U.S. Transportation Sector Efficiency, led a diverse coalition of prominent auto, utility, labor, and environment leaders in unveiling a report charting a path to cut transportation energy use in half by 2050.
Announced at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, California, National Grid has committed to enabling 10,000 public EV charging ports by 2025 in its United States jurisdictions (MA, NY, and RI) with the approval of state regulatory agencies. This commitment includes providing infrastructure and rebates for a variety of charging station installations (e.g., Level 1, Level 2, DC Fast Charging, transit, and heavy-duty vehicle charging) in its service territory.
“National Grid has long recognized the important role electrification of the transportation sector will play in the Northeast’s clean energy transition. That starts inside our business,” said Dean Seavers, President of National Grid, US. “We are proud to lead on the meaningful deployment of EV charging infrastructure and I am proud to co-chair an effort that puts National Grid in the company of other businesses committed to walking the talk and advancing the transition to EVs.”
The 50x50 Commission’s report provides recommendations to policymakers focused on three themes, including:
- Transform. Policymakers should not only seek to enhance the energy efficiency of vehicles and components, but also to capitalize on new technologies to transition to an efficient, integrated, and improved “transportation services” model.
- Innovate. The U.S. should prioritize its leadership in pursuing research, development, deployment, and demonstration for efficient transportation innovation opportunities.
- Invest. Policymakers should focus on improving the efficiency of all vehicle types by promoting fuel economy standards and accelerating vehicle turnover, and incentivizing the deployment of and infrastructure for energy-efficient vehicles.
The states National Grid serves have adopted targets of 80% CO2 emission reductions by 2050 across their entire economies and National Grid is committed to supporting these efforts through the electrification of the transportation sector.
To that end, National Grid has been a leader in supporting EV adoption by:
- Launching a new internal EV adoption program with employees funded by shareholders that has facilitated the sale of more than 180 EVs in the first six months;
- Installing charging stations at 20 of their facilities to date, with more planned;
- Committing to converting corporate fleet acquisition budget to EVs;
- Owning and managing 150 Level 2 stations across their jurisdictions, and installing three DC fast charging stations in the Massachusetts with state grant funding;
- Including more than $40 million in regulatory filings for transport related initiatives - such as charging infrastructure, customer outreach/education, and grid integration - over the next 3 years in all National Grid jurisdictions.
The company highlighted their commitment to reducing emissions in the transportation sector in June, releasing the “Northeast 80x50 Pathway,” a blueprint for how to reduce GHG emissions by 80% by 2050 in the Northeast. The Pathway identifies transportation as the most offensive GHG-emitting sector. These EV commitments will help National Grid further meet its goals along with the states they serve.
About National Grid
National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company that supplies the energy for more than 20 million people through its networks in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates the systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.
National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions. Read more about the innovative projects happening across our footprint in The Democratization of Energy, an eBook written by National Grid’s US president, Dean Seavers.
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