The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) recently approved an electric vehicle (EV) pilot program for Tampa Electric Co. (TECO) to advance Florida's sustainable transportation future. By the end of this year, the pilot is projected to provide an estimated 200 EV charging ports in the Tampa Bay area.
"EV use in Florida is on the rise and approval of these additional charging stations will help Florida keep pace with this growing industry," said Andrew Giles Fay, PSC commissioner. "As more EV options become available, TECO's pilot program will boost customer confidence by offering EV owners much-needed accessibility to higher-voltage chargers at the workplace and other public venues."
TECO plans to purchase, install, and maintain charging stations at commercial/industrial customer locations such as workplaces, retail businesses, as well as multifamily, low-income, and government buildings. The pilot's capital cost is capped at US$2 million, and operation and maintenance costs are limited to US$100,000 annually.
Part of the PSC's approval requires TECO to file annual reports, with the first report due 12 months after the pilot's approval. The annual reports will provide comprehensive data for each market segment, including the number of charging sessions, location and time of use, costs to EV drivers, installation costs, load profiles, O&M expense, and site host or driver feedback. The pilot will terminate after four years unless TECO seeks Commission approval to continue the program.
The Commission has approved EV pilot programs for four utilities over the past 25 years. Florida Power & Light Co.'s three optional EV charging pilot tariffs — also facilitating more charging opportunities — were approved in December 2020. TECO serves about 765,000 customers in Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas, and Pasco counties.
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