EV Working Group for Utilities

ACEEE’s utility-only EV working group, with nearly 300 active members from over 50 utilities around the country, focuses on the unique challenges utilities face in developing electric vehicle (EV) programs that serve low- and moderate-income communities. By facilitating peer-to-peer learning and inviting expert guest speakers, ACEEE supports utilities in creating inclusive, scalable strategies to drive EV adoption in underserved areas.  

Each meeting features an expert presentation or panel discussion, followed by member updates, Q&A sessions, and facilitated discussions among participants. Members are encouraged to share their successes and challenges openly, and the utility-only format helps foster open and candid conversations.   

Public utility commissions and utility governing boards are increasingly seeking to ensure that ratepayer funds invested in EV programs generate equitable outcomes for all households. Utilities are therefore well situated to expand EV access in a way that benefits low- and moderate-income households and marginalized communities, whether through personal vehicle ownership, ride shares, electrified public transit, greater heavy-duty electrification, or other means. 

By focusing on more tailored, in-depth discussions on topics utilities have identified as areas of interest, ACEEE hopes to provide members with constructive solutions to their challenges and readily implementable best practices.  

Our meetings are tailored to address the highest-priority topics identified by working group members. Proposed upcoming meeting topics include:  

• Lessons learned from local government and utility coordination  
• Strategies to boost uptake of utility incentives for multifamily charging  
• Stacking battery storage and EV rate design incentives  
• Best practices for outreach and education targeting low- to moderate-income customers  
• Vehicle to grid software and hardware state of technology from project deployments  
• Micromobility and carshare program design best practices 

 The utility EV working group is supported by funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation.  

EV Working Group Members