Transportation Electrification Building Blocks: Practical Guidance to Plan for Rapid EV Load Growth

As electric vehicle (EV) adoption continues to grow, so do concerns about the electric grid’s ability to handle these vehicles’ charging needs, from not only passenger EVs, but also electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Transportation electrification will not happen at the speed needed if cities’ and states’ electric grids can’t handle the charging load.

Many stakeholders are worried that there’s not enough time to prepare the electric grid for new power demand without interrupting the pace of EV adoption, given that installation of new equipment and upgrades to existing infrastructure can take years — much longer than the time required to get the vehicles themselves.

Thankfully, RMI research shows that there are many steps regulators and utilities can take to expedite grid improvements. In the spring of 2024 we interviewed multiple stakeholders — including current and former utility commissioners, utility representatives, research organizations, and non-governmental organizations — and used their insights to inform the development of our newest insight brief, Transportation Electrification Building Blocks: Practical Guidance for Regulators and Utilities to Strategically Plan for Rapid Electric Vehicle Load Growth.

Stakeholders can easily use the brief to advance their work. Its building blocks collectively address the key questions regulators and utility planners face when deciding how to appropriately plan for and invest in the upgrades needed to support EV load growth while also protecting utility customers from excess costs.