Business Customers are Encouraged to Apply for an EV Charger Installed by the Utility
Tampa Electric business customers will soon be able to apply for participation in Tampa Electric’s new Drive Smart EV charging pilot program, approved today by the Florida Public Service Commission. The approval paves the way for the company to install more than 200 public charging stations. Customers selected to participate will receive an electric vehicle charger installed by the utility.
“The pilot program offers an opportunity for business customers to install an EV charger for their customers and employees at little or no installation cost,” said Kenneth Hernandez, business development manager for Tampa Electric. The intent of the pilot program is to learn firsthand how EV drivers charge their vehicles while also helping to increase customer confidence in the availability of public charging locations. As the adoption of EVs continues to grow, it will be vitally important that charging infrastructure is available to meet growing demand, which also requires proper utility planning.
According to the Edison Electric Institute, there will be nearly 19 million EVs on the road within the next decade, requiring more chargers to be available throughout the communities where we live and work.
“EVs play an important role to help communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Tampa Electric wants to do its part to help,” Hernandez said. “Driving an electric vehicle can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50 percent compared to a gasoline vehicle. Further emission reductions can be expected as Tampa Electric continues to invest in solar and other clean technology.”
Business customers interested in hosting EV charging at their locations are encouraged to share their email address with Tampa Electric, by visiting smcun.com/ev and clicking on the email link at the top of the page. Tampa Electric will email a link to an online application.
The company will install chargers to serve five market segments: workplace, public/retail, multi-unit dwellings, income-qualified and government. This will help ensure diverse placement of the chargers. In addition to the 200 Level 2 (240-volt) chargers, the company will separately install four “direct current” fast chargers.
Tampa Electric will contribute up to $5,000 toward equipment and installation costs of each charge port (a charger typically has one plug or charge port). The participating business will bear any additional costs. For EV chargers installed to serve income-qualified areas, and for government entities, Tampa Electric expects to cover the full cost of equipment and installation. Throughout the four-year pilot, Tampa Electric will own and maintain the chargers. In exchange, each participant will agree to provide access to charging data that will directly support long-term electrical infrastructure planning and reliability.
Participating businesses will be responsible for the electricity service to each location, which will be provided by Tampa Electric using standard rates. Businesses will have the option to charge a fee to EV drivers for using the new charging ports.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 800,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
