BATON ROUGE, La. — Electric vehicle charging stations are scattered around Louisiana, but it’s not always easy to find one available for a charge.
“When you look at statistics, Louisiana has been notoriously slow on our electric vehicles, and I think that that’s partly because we don’t have the infrastructure,” said District 3 Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis.
Lewis says the lack of EV infrastructure will change statewide.
“This is step one,” said Lewis.
Wednesday, the Public Service Commission is expected to adopt new rules that would allow places like gas stations and grocery stores to set up their own EV infrastructure.
“This is really going to let private businesses join the movement of electric vehicles and open the market for everyone to compete and play,” said Lewis.
The new rules would also prevent utility companies from having sole operating rights. Any utility wanting to build infrastructure would have to create a private, unregulated entity. That prevents the utility from passing costs to ratepayers.
“The one caveat is that Entergy New Orleans would not fall under this rule because they are regulated by the city council,” said Lewis. “What this would do is allow gas stations in New Orleans now to build their own infrastructure because they could follow under the PSC rules.
Lewis hopes new private EV infrastructure will put more options along major interstates and in disadvantaged communities.
“If you’re thinking about buying an EV, you’re looking for your nearest charging station. Not everyone can afford to put a charging station in their home,” said Lewis.
Lewis says a $7,500 federal tax credit on electric vehicles has helped grow sales nationally but driving them in Louisiana isn’t so user-friendly.
“This is not to say that you shouldn’t be able to drive a gas car if you so choose but as modern technology evolves, as electric vehicles are moving in the forefront, I want Louisiana to be a leader,” said Lewis.
Lewis hopes the new rules will lead to larger projects, like more electric school and city buses.
“The Orleans Parish School Board has been one of the first to be able to add some electric school buses onto their fleet. We’ve also done it to the district in East Baton Rouge and so my next step is really getting them in the river parishes,” said Lewis. “I hope it really opens the door to see the power of electric vehicles. I think there’s been misguided debate about electric vehicles and what they mean and how they operate.”
The new rules would also allow homeowners the option of keeping an EV charging station connected to the home’s main meter or switching it to a separate one.
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