Local Electric Company wants EV owners to pay for upgrading neighborhood infrastructure.

[RSpanner]

Reading the info that our Electric Company has under policies, a new EV customer wanting to install a level 2 in home chargers may have to pay
$4,000-5000 bill for upgrading electric service to their neighborhood. What is not said is under what circumstances that may happen.
I have a phone call into the company (who are not seeing customers face to face anymore) and will try to find more information on that "$$$charge.
A message was left for me: " Distribution Engineering has become concerned about the increased loads from EV charging and is trying to gather information ahead of time. And, if it looks like the car charger will push the load over neighborhood capacity, they are billing the individual EV owner the cost of the upgrade."
I take that to mean that if I am, say # 9 in my hood to request an EV charger to connect to their grid, I may be liable for at least $4000...I have a lot of questions....

 

[Watts_Up]

Just ask to install a 30Amp plug for a dryer and dont mention EV... at the limit, find a used dryer on CraigsLists

 

[MP3Mike]

Or a 50a outlet for a welder. But in my area the utility isn't involved in electrical changes like that. Now, if you need to upgrade your service to support it that would be different.

 

[rwiegand]

Seems like a "don't ask, don't tell" situation. Most places retail customers are not asked to pay for upgrades that are upstream of the transformer, but it sounds like you need to discuss this with your state public utility commission and state rep-- such things are determined at that level, at least in most states. It would certainly create a disincentive for being the first EV owner on your block!
It does create some interesting equity problems-- someone needs to pay for the upgrades, and there's a certain logic to charging the users rather than raising everyone's rates. But then you should get a rebate when subsequent EV users come on line. That's the way it worked when my grandparents had the power lines extended to reach their property back in the 1930's. For some fairly long period of time they'd get a check when a new customer hooked up to the line the original participants had paid for.

 

[ElectricWolff]

My electric company "Paid" me $400 after my install of Level 2 charger in the form of a $400 credit to my bill. I don't think what your (OP) elect company is asking of you is right. IMO

 

[ewoodrick]

Check with your Public Service Commission.

If it us service into YOUR house that needs to be upgraded, then $5,000 is actually reasonable.

But if they are charging EV owners only, then that's unfair, what happens if someone else adds after the upgrade? Talk and make your issue known to your PSC/PUC.

 

[Sephiroth]

Is your house in a relatively new neighborhood? Do you have the 200A service to your house with some spare breakers in your breaker box? If so I wouldn’t worry about your utility company.

 

[bruce4000]

Funny how nobody made a big deal when air conditioning was rolled out even though AC is used at peak afternoon load and most home ev charging is in the middle of the night when load is low.

 

[GlazedHam]

Funny how nobody made a big deal when air conditioning was rolled out even though AC is used at peak afternoon load and most home ev charging is in the middle of the night when load is low.

That would be because household air conditioners became a thing in the early 1930s. For reference: when ACs were first being installed into houses, only 68% of homes had electricity and in the same decade there was more federal dollars going into the electrical grid then any other point in US history.

 

[ewoodrick]

Is your house in a relatively new neighborhood? Do you have the 200A service to your house with some spare breakers in your breaker box? If so I wouldn’t worry about your utility company.

Spare break-outs are not valid indicators of the existing capacity of a panel.

 

[ElectricWolff]

Spare break-outs are not valid indicators of the existing capacity of a panel.

No, But they are a important step in determining if a charging outlet can be added. If no open breaker spots are available, you either have to put in double breakers to make space, or install new panel with upgraded service if not 200A

 

[ewoodrick]

No, But they are a important step in determining if a charging outlet can be added. If no open breaker spots are available, you either have to put in double breakers to make space, or install new panel with upgraded service if not 200A

But that it nearly irrelevant to determining if your panel can handle the load. Like you said, you can often install half-height breakers if you are out of slots. That's cheap and easy. An electrician doesn't even think twice about it.

And no, the new panel doesn't require upgraded service, if the panel has the capacity, all that needs to be done is install a small breakout panel next to it and reroute some connections, Just about as easy as going with half-height breakers.

 

[Seattle]

Reading the info that our Electric Company has under policies, a new EV customer wanting to install a level 2 in home chargers may have to pay
$4,000-5000 bill for upgrading electric service to their neighborhood. What is not said is under what circumstances that may happen.
I have a phone call into the company (who are not seeing customers face to face anymore) and will try to find more information on that "$$$charge.
A message was left for me: " Distribution Engineering has become concerned about the increased loads from EV charging and is trying to gather information ahead of time. And, if it looks like the car charger will push the load over neighborhood capacity, they are billing the individual EV owner the cost of the upgrade."
I take that to mean that if I am, say # 9 in my hood to request an EV charger to connect to their grid, I may be liable for at least $4000...I have a lot of questions....

Can you name and shame the electric company? That's just such a bizarre and likely ideologically oriented request. Also, the power company is not involved if I add a new circuit breaker in my house, unless I need to increase the service level to my house.

 

[ewoodrick]

Can you name and shame the electric company? That's just such a bizarre and likely ideologically oriented request. Also, the power company is not involved if I add a new circuit breaker in my house, unless I need to increase the service level to my house.

You may be missing the point. It appears that the entire neighborhood doesn't have enough power. Which basically suggests that if my car is charging, my neighbors lights may dim. A ne transformer and service lines need to be installed. This isn't common with new neighborhoods. And while it isn't common with any neighborhoods, areas built before the 1950's were sized for Air Conditioning, let along EV charging.
I still say that the PSC would make the utility eat the cost.

 

[RSpanner]

Can you name and shame the electric company? That's just such a bizarre and likely ideologically oriented request. Also, the power company is not involved if I add a new circuit breaker in my house, unless I need to increase the service level to my house.

Eugene Water and Electric Board>

Can you name and shame the electric company? That's just such a bizarre and likely ideologically oriented request. Also, the power company is not involved if I add a new circuit breaker in my house, unless I need to increase the service level to my house.

Eugene Water and Electric Board. I had all of the information from EWEB, deleted it last week. I will be be getting that info. again in the next few days. It is all true that an EV customer , according to EWEB, is liable for the costs of a neighborhood upgrade in service when the "strain" (my words) on the system becomes apparent.

 

[Seattle]

Eugene Water and Electric Board>

Eugene Water and Electric Board. I had all of the information from EWEB, deleted it last week. I will be be getting that info. again in the next few days. It is all true that an EV customer , according to EWEB, is liable for the costs of a neighborhood upgrade in service when the "strain" (my words) on the system becomes apparent.

Normally if you just work within your allotted power to your house, your 150 amp service or whatever, there's no notion of "don't use a little more, the neighborhood is close to the limit". You house has a service allotment, you stay within that, but you are allowed to use your service level whenever you want. You don't worry about what your neighbor does (they stay within their service level allotment), the power company has allocated power, enough power to service the neighborhood. Doesn't it work this way everywhere? Maybe I'm mis-understanding.

 

[RSpanner]

Can you name and shame the electric company? That's just such a bizarre and likely ideologically oriented request. Also, the power company is not involved if I add a new circuit breaker in my house, unless I need to increase the service level to my house.

“If you are planning on installing an EV charging station, contact EWEB Distribution Engineering at [email protected] to inform them of the additional load from your EV charging station. The added electric load of installing an EV charging station may result in costs for upgrading facilities such as transformers, conductors, or other equipment upstream from your service. If the EWEB engineering analysis confirms that equipment must be upgraded to accommodate the added electric load, the Customer will be responsible for these charges related to upgrading the equipment, per EWEB Electrical Utility Operational Policies. This is a separate process from the EV home charging rebate program.

 

[ewoodrick]

Eugene Water and Electric Board>

Eugene Water and Electric Board. I had all of the information from EWEB, deleted it last week. I will be be getting that info. again in the next few days. It is all true that an EV customer , according to EWEB, is liable for the costs of a neighborhood upgrade in service when the "strain" (my words) on the system becomes apparent.

While EWEB may say that, you need to find when the PSC says.

 

[drb3333]

I agree with others above. Suspend talking to the Eugene Water and Electric Board.

Have an electrician evaluate the capability with your existing panel, and simply have the equivalent of a dryer or electric range service added. This should not "strain" the neighborhood (it's not a supercharger for heaven's sake).

If you have existing capacity, then you should be grandfathered-in from the original home construction with respect to neighborhood service.

Apply for your $500 back from the Board without further discussion:

Electric Vehicle Incentives | EWEB

In addition to the cost savings you'll get from driving an EV, there are also tax and rebate incentives that could save you thousands of dollars on your purchase or lease.

www.eweb.org

 

[ewoodrick]

I agree with others above. Suspend talking to the Eugene Water and Electric Board.

Have an electrician evaluate the capability with your existing panel, and simply have the equivalent of a dryer or electric range service added. This should not "strain" the neighborhood (it's not a supercharger for heaven's sake).

If you have existing capacity, then you should be grandfathered-in from the original home construction with respect to neighborhood service.

Apply for your $500 back from the Board without further discussion:

Electric Vehicle Incentives | EWEB

In addition to the cost savings you'll get from driving an EV, there are also tax and rebate incentives that could save you thousands of dollars on your purchase or lease.

www.eweb.org

Some folks seem to forget that there are these things called permits that are required by many areas to do things like add an EV charging port. Qualified electricians will pull the permits, they don't want their licenses revoked.

Modification, such as adding a EV charger done, without pulling a permit and going through the required inspections can basically invalidate your insurance's requirement to pay you.