The U.S. must accelerate the pace of installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure to achieve the critical mass that’s needed to support widespread EV usage.
That’s the message delivered by Edison International President and CEO Pedro Pizarro to the National EV Charging Summit, where automakers, EV and charging industry leaders, labor and public interest groups and power providers came together virtually to commit to accelerating the adoption of electric cars by making EV charging more available on U.S. highways.
“This includes rapidly deploying charging for both passenger and medium and heavy-duty vehicles,” Pizarro said. “Our utility, Southern California Edison, is addressing the availability barrier through its Charge Ready programs.”
While acknowledging the progress made, “a key barrier to mass adoption of electric vehicles is the availability of fast-charging options in many areas,” Pizarro said in a video addressing the summit.
Through Charge Ready, SCE supports charging at workplaces, schools, public places and multifamily dwellings, as well as charging for fleet and industrial vehicles. Over the past few years, during the pilot phase of Charge Ready, SCE has installed up to 1,000 charge ports per year.
With the recent launch of two full-scale programs – Charge Ready for light-duty vehicles and Charge Ready Transport for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles – the number of ports installed will increase to more than 8,000 ports per year over the next few years. SCE plans to locate half of those in underserved communities.
The half-day event provided a forum to spotlight organizations and companies making commitments to support the Biden administration’s EV charging efforts and stimulate a national dialogue on EV charging. The event also was an opportunity to hear from U.S. government officials about the new pace for EVs.
A key barrier to the mass adoption of electric vehicles is the availability of fast charging options in many areas. While progress is being made, we need to increase the pace of supporting infrastructure to achieve the critical mass needed to support widespread EV usage.”
Pedro Pizarro, Edison International President and CEO
Edison International is a member of the National Electric Highway Coalition, a newly formed partnership of electric companies launched by the Edison Electric Institute to provide fast-charging infrastructure throughout the U.S. along major travel corridors by the end of 2023.
Additionally, SCE is part of the California Regional Charging Network working to build out a regional network of chargers in support of California’s ambitious goals to electrify the transportation sectors in the state. It is also a member of the West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative, a joint effort among electric utilities from San Diego to the Canadian border to analyze, promote and develop electric charging facilities for freight trucks traveling up and down Interstate 5 and adjoining highways.
For more information regarding SCE's clean energy initiatives, visit edison.com/cleanenergy.
