Duke originally proposed a $76 million plan in April 2019. The North Carolina Utilities Commission gave the go-ahead for a scaled-back version with a currently estimated budget of $25 million.
Among the programs:
- Duke Energy will install, own and operate a total of 160 public Level 2 charging stations at public destinations to encourage EV adoption. The company will collect utilization and other load characteristics to understand potential grid and utility impacts.
- Duke Energy will install, own and operate 40 publicly accessible direct current fast charging stations throughout North Carolina.
- It will install, own and operate up to 80 Level 2 charging stations for residents of multifamily dwellings -- providing easy access to EV charging for non-homeowners throughout the state.
- It will help replace 30 older, diesel school buses with zero-emission school buses in public school transportation systems. The funding will be up to $215,000 per bus on a first-come, first-served basis to school districts.
The NCUC left open the door for additional programs - instructing the company to create a stakeholder process to craft future programs to spur future EV adoption in the state.
The NCUC ruling comes one month after the Public Service Commission of South Carolina approved a $10 million EV charging pilot in South Carolina.
