Report: Non-utility Firms Not Interested in Maryland Electric Vehicle Pilot

Non-utility stakeholders have not expressed interest in submitting a proposal for Maryland's electric vehicle pilot program, a final working group report said.

Senate Bill 179 requires the Maryland PSC to establish a pilot program, "for electric customers to recharge electric vehicles during off-peak hours," by June 30, 2013.

The working group reported that, currently, no stakeholder has proposed an electric vehicle pilot project.

Furthermore, no non-utility provider has expressed interest in submitting a proposal. The report noted that the state has not offered EV-industry stakeholders funding for conducting an EV pilot project in Maryland, and that non-utility companies may be conducting ongoing pilots in other jurisdictions, and thus may not wish to duplicate these efforts with a redundant pilot in Maryland.

Two utilities, Baltimore Gas & Electric and Pepco, have stated that they could make pilot proposals in the future. Both distribution companies are deploying smart meters, and indicated that a proposal for an EV pilot would be contingent upon the progress of deployment, considering that advanced metering may enhance the monitoring of EV charging and support the deployment of off-peak charging rates. According to the working group, both utilities said they could submit proposals for an EV pilot program and implement it by the due date of June 30, 2013.

"Until one of the stakeholders submits a pilot proposal, the Working Group requests that the Commission allow it to go on hiatus," the group requested.