Acknowledging electric vehicle (EV) owners' fear of being stranded with a drained battery far from a charging station, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) provided a jumpstart to Florida's sustainable transportation future. The commission approved Florida Power & Light Co.'s (FPL's) three optional EV charging pilot tariffs, facilitating more charging opportunities.
"Continued growth of the EV industry will require widespread charging infrastructure and appropriate electricity plans to enable deployment along state highways," said PSC Chairman Gary Clark. "We determined that FPL offering a utility-based rate as an option to EV customers during the industry's developmental stage promotes public interest and is expected to provide value to customers."
The first tariff, Utility-Owned Public Charging for Electric Vehicles (UEV), establishes a charging rate for utility-owned direct current fast charging stations. The other two tariffs, Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Riders for General Service Demand (GSD-1EV) and General Service Large Demand (GSLD-1EV), establish a rate for competitive market charging stations operating in FPL's service area. This rate will implement a threshold on the demand charge associated with the general service rates.
The UEV tariff sets a price of US$0.30/kWh for electricity sold to motorists at charging stations operated by FPL. These stations allow motorists to charge EVs more quickly than they can charge vehicles at home. FPL's volumetric rate, US$0.30/kWh, is based on a comparison of a cost-per-mile basis to recent gasoline prices. The GSD-1EV and GSLD-1EV tariffs help mitigate the impact of demand charges for charging stations that have low use.
FPL's five-year pilot program is effective Jan. 1, 2021, and the utility is required to file annual reports with the commission by Jan. 30, 2022, for the reporting period of January through December 2021. These reports will provide critical information allowing the PSC to monitor the reasonableness of the UEV rate and the GSD-1EV and GSLD-1EV tariffs. Before the end of the five-year period, the PSC ordered FPL to file, no later than Sept. 1, 2025, a petition to extend, modify, or terminate the tariffs.
For more information, visit here.
