Safety & Environment
Electric Vehicles
In April 2017, the company launched SmartCharge New York, an electric vehicle (EV) off-peak charging incentive program. Con Edison provides EV owners who charge their vehicles in our service territory a free device that plugs into the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic port. This device reads charging information – when, where and how much energy is consumed. In 2017, program participants earned 5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for any off-peak charging in our service territory, in addition to other monthly smart charging rewards. This off-peak charging incentive was doubled to 10 cents per kWh in April 2018, allowing an average EV owner to earn up to $500 per year plus an enrollment bonus of $150. In 2017, the program acquired 0.6 megawatts (MW) in peak load reduction. As of July 2018, almost 1400 EVs were actively enrolled in the program.
In 2017, Con Edison purchased 12 Chevrolet Bolts (BEV), 10 Chevrolet Volts (PHEV), three Chrysler Pacific Hybrids (PHEV), four Ford C-Max Energis (PHEV) and two Ford Fusion Energis (PHEV); Transportation purchased five additional step vans with eAPU technology. At the close of the 2017 calendar year, Con Edison’s electric fleet contained 66 plug-in vehicles comprised of 12 BEVs, 32 PHEVs, and 18 ePTO/eAPU bucket trucks/step vans. We also have more than 200 conventional hybrids, approximately 300 vehicles operating on compressed natural gas, and more than 1400 vehicles running on biodiesel blends.
During 2017, the company invested over $5.2M in EV-charging infrastructure for the fleet as part of its three-year (2016-2018), $10M project to install EV-charging infrastructure at 12 company locations. The locations were chosen because they support over 80% of the company’s fleet. Most locations will have three levels of charging:
- Five level 1 chargers (110V) for charging bucket trucks with JEMS Technology as well as vans with eAPU technology
- Four level 2 chargers (208/240V) for charging PHEVs and BEVs
- One DC fast charger (480V) for charging BEVs
Additionally, the project design includes the necessary electrical power infrastructure to support five additional level 2 charging stations that may be considered for future installation as the need arises.