Utilities Studying How to Bring EV Charging Infrastructure to U.S. Interstate 5

By Stephen Nakrosis

A group of utilities and agencies have initiated a study to examine the best methods to ensure travelers and transport using electric vehicles can access charging stations on U.S. Interstate 5, which runs the length of the west coast from the Mexican to the Canadian borders.

Nine electric utilities along with two agencies representing over two dozen municipal utilities are sponsors of the West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative, utility Southern California Edison said.

"Many of the utilities represented in this partnership have programs to support charging electric vehicles that travel within our own territories, but for extended shipping and long-haul trucks, we need solutions that we can apply across utility territories," said Caroline Choi, senior vice president of Corporate Affairs for Edison International and Southern California Edison, one of the utilities sponsoring the study.

Other sponsors of the study include Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Pacific Power, Portland General Electric, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and San Diego Gas & Electric.

The study examine the best methods to provide charging facilities on I-5 and connecting routes. It will especially focus on more heavy-duty electric trucks being introduced to the market, and will study what role electricity providers can play in electrifying the corridor, the utility said. The study will also try to identify favorable locations for electric truck charging facilities, the utility said.

SoCalEd said the study is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

Southern California Edison is a subsidiary of Edison International (EIX).

--Write to Stephen Nakrosis at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 18, 2019 14:27 ET (18:27 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.