System planning for fleet electrification and the rapidly changing impacts to the distribution grid
Even before California banned the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, California was facing increasing electric demand due to the accelerating adoption of light-duty electric vehicles from residential and commercial customers. Meanwhile, medium and heavy-duty vehicle electrification forecasts are constantly shifting, leaving little confidence for distribution utilities attempting to plan ahead. And a single fast charging interconnection request ahead of schedule can trigger a multi-year transmission and/or distribution upgrade for a utility. Until vehicle electrification forecasts stabilize, what can utilities do to all developers to still meet the needs of their customers?