Questions & resources to navigate getting power to your new EV fleet

Written By Ellie Probus

It’s an exciting time: as the EV market grows alongside the cost savings of electric vehicles, many utilities are actively expanding grid capacity to meet the increasing demand. This includes upgrades and expansions to get power to new charging sites — a process made easier by the many resources that exist to support businesses in navigating it when they modernize with zero-emission fleets.

Because adding new grid capacity can take time, organizations beginning to plan for eventual fleet electrification can only benefit from reaching out to utilities to start the process now. We talked with two PNW utilities, Portland General Electric and Seattle City Light, to illuminate the key planning considerations for utilities to get power to a new charging site and the resources available to make it easy.

The key questions behind electrification planning

How Much Power Do I need?

Short answer, probably not as much as you think. You can usually operate a small set of EVs on your current capacity. As it takes time to build your fleet you can begin to assess how your power needs will change as you go deeper into the decarbonization process.

What do I need to plan when it comes to power capacity upgrades?

From the pencil of the plan to bring potential power to your site, to actually getting the needed infrastructure upgrades up and running, you can more or less expect to complete the following steps to get there:

  1. Customer Application

  2. Assessments

    • Power available vs. needs

    • Site layout and construction

    • Power connection during construction

    • Number of chargers and power supply upgrades

    • Environment impact study (if needed)

  3. Plan approval and funding

  4. Hardware supply chain and ordering

    • Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSEs)

    • Transformer

  5. Construction time

As long as you begin this process at the beginning of your electrification journey, upgrades can happen in tandem with much of the other planning and resourcing your organization will take on as a routine part of upgrading its fleet.

The big consideration: How much charging capacity is already in the project area?

Before anything else, utilities will need to determine how much capacity already exists where your charging infrastructure will be sited. Based on how many EVs your organization plans to purchase over the course of the next 10 years and the types of chargers you’ll need to meet your vehicle size and charging time requirements, they’ll work with you to identify how much additional capacity might be needed. This could be the case for projects anywhere, but especially so in rural areas where existing capacity can be limited.

If more capacity is needed, the planning considerations will be:

  • Are upgrades, such as line extensions, necessary for the project? 

  • If so, what’s involved in making those upgrades?

  • How much cost or time is involved?

What other planning questions can I work with a utility to consider?

While grid capacity is priority item #1 for mapping how you get power to your site, utilities can also work with you to make sure your planning and siting takes other important considerations into account:

  • What equipment will be needed, and what’s the supply chain availability?

  • Are there environmental factors to consider that will complicate the project, such as connecting power through a flood plain or protected wildlife nesting?

  • Is there any other construction underway at the project site that we’ll need to plan around and coordinate timing with? If so, is there potential to save money by leveraging that construction effort to address your project’s needs (such as digging conduits)?

How utilities help make planning easier 

The good news is that typically, your utility company won’t expect you to be able to ask and answer these many questions alone. 

Utility companies across the PNW have fleet electrification assistance programs to connect you to free assessments and consultation support, so that they can be partners in thinking through the planning considerations and coordinating infrastructure together. Check out some local utility resources here: 

Organizations that choose to handle planning, purchasing and installation on their own will be responsible for tackling components that include trenching/boring, and conduit, pad/vault, and metering equipment. Once these items are installed and inspected, the utility typically will provide and install wire, transformers, and meters in the meter bases provided by the customer. 

More resources to simplify your fleet electrification

Utilities and their technical assistance programs can provide a huge lift for organizations navigating fleet electrification. To get additional support throughout the full electrification process, you can check out:

Ellie Probus
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