Duke Energy has launched an EV charger rental program, Charger Solution program, in North Carolina for residential and business customers to lease an EV charger from the company at a low monthly cost, covering hardware, warranty and maintenance.
The program, approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, offers customers variety of charger options and guides them through the selection process while evaluating charging station options.
"Duke Energy continues to prepare for the electric vehicle transition, as more customers consider and choose EVs," said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy North Carolina president. "By offering a variety of charger solutions, we hope our customers feel confident that they have a choice to fit their needs, with the reassurance they can rely on our expertise for maintenance."
The program also helps customers select chargers based on their individual preference, lifestyle or business needs.
While residential options start at around $14 per month and include a three-year rental term for a Level 2 charger, which can typically fully recharge an all-electric vehicle within eight to ten hours, non-residential options differ based on the charger and include a four-year rental term for a Level 2 charger or a seven-year rental term for a DC Fast Charger.
The program helps maximize reliability and efficiency by eliminating the difficulty arising with maintaining a charger for non-residential customers, which includes businesses and multifamily dwellings. It also allows these customers to highlight chargers as a service without an initial capital outlay.
The program supports the state's clean energy goals, including 1.25 million EVs in North Carolina by 2030. It follows the company's Charger Prep Credit program, which helped more than 6,000 North Carolinians prepare for a Level 2 charger by providing a credit to help defray the cost to upgrade their existing electrical infrastructure at their home or business.
Duke Energy also launched a 12-month EV charging subscription pilot program in North Carolina, the Home Charging Plan, which allows enrolled residential customers in the state to charge an EV at home for up to 800 kWh per month for a fixed monthly fee.
Duke Energy manages charging through their automaker app and participates in periodic demand response events, which helps the company to operate the grid more effectively by shifting demand on the grid to hours of the day where clean energy supply is available or cost effective for customers.
Currently, the subscription pilot is closed to new enrollments in North Carolina.
Duke Energy aims to file similar programs for regulatory approval across all its service areas and has total 17 active, approved EV programs with two pending for authorization.
