Arizona adopts statewide plan for 1 million EVs by 2030

The Arizona Corporation Commission approved a state transportation electrification plan during its monthly open meeting Dec. 15 and 16.

The plan, filed by commission-regulated utilities Arizona Public Service Co., Tucson Electric Power Co. and UNS Electric Inc., calls for putting 1 million or more electric vehicles on the road by 2030.

The plan also calls for the state to have more than 3,300 electric-powered delivery trucks and more than 2,000 school and transit buses in operation by 2030. Other parts of the plan include developing new and expanding existing education programs, incentives and charging infrastructure, and rideshare programs along with outreach to underserved communities as well as enacting zero-emissions vehicle legislation.

The utilities first filed the plan in December 2019. A phase two plan was filed in April, and both parts were considered to be the overall plan. An approved order was not immediately available Dec. 20 (Docket No. E-00000A-21-0104).

Some barriers to adoption were identified, including a lack of charging infrastructure in the state, a lack of dealership incentives for EV purchases, upfront premium cost with purchasing a new EV, and limited awareness around EVs among consumers. The phase two portion of the proceeding included other stakeholders such as state and local governments, environmental advocates, automakers and charging providers.

The approved order requires the utilities to update the plan every three years, the commission said in a statement.

Arizona Public Service is a subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. Tucson Electric and UNS Electric are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc.