Title: 4 U.S. Electric Vehicle Trends To Watch In 2019
Headings: 4 U.S. Electric Vehicle Trends To Watch In 2019
4 U.S. Electric Vehicle Trends To Watch In 2019
Amanda Myers
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California will drive U.S. EV deployment even further in 2019
EVs will get bigger and better
Utilities will increase their transportation electrification role
Tax credit under threat, other incentives more plentiful
An EV milestone – and a fork in the road – in 2019

Content: Transit agencies are saving money on electric buses compared to conventional due to lower operational and fuel costs – the Chicago Transit Authority is saving $25,000 annually per bus. Total cost of electric bus ownership comparison by annual distance
Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Utilities will increase their transportation electrification role
Utilities are key players in transportation electrification since they provide EV “fuel,” making them necessary partners to create adequate infrastructure and a vested interest in EV adoption. Energy Innovation modeling forecasts EVs will compose 60%-75% of total new light-duty vehicle sales in the US by 2050, representing 13%-15% of national electricity demand. U.S. electric vehicle deployment forecast to 2050
Energy Innovation
Utilities are rolling out programs to meet EV demand. In addition to rebate programs, many utilities are creating time-of-use (TOU) programs to shift charging times toward beneficial times for the grid, as well as demand response programs to manage charging behavior, reducing peak load when the day-ahead wholesale market signals stress on the grid. Utilities will debut more EV programs in 2019, particularly municipal utilities (“munis”) and electric cooperatives ("co-ops"), including EV incentives and TOU rate pilots. One-third of all U.S. electricity customers are served by munis and co-ops, so the impact of EV programs at these entities is significant. Large investor-owned utilities (IOUs) have legislative and regulatory mandates requiring them to create EV programs, so as IOUs create best practices and realize benefits of EVs, smaller publicly owned utilities (POUs) will follow suit. Tax credit under threat, other incentives more plentiful
Unfortunately the $7,500 federal consumer EV tax credit, currently limited at 200,000 tax credits per original equipment manufacturer (OEM), will be hotly contested and severely threatened in 2019 – but it could be counterbalanced by state and utility incentives. Many automakers lobbied aggressively for the federal EV credit during the 2017 tax overhaul, and it avoided the chopping block.