CEO’s Message – March 2023

EVs and Chargers and System Upgrades…Oh My!

Washington state, along with many countries and carmakers around the world, has committed to phasing out all new internal combustion engine automobiles by the year 2035. In 2022, just over 13.5 million new vehicles were sold in the United States. Slightly more than 604,000, about 4.5 percent, were electric vehicles.

So, to oversimplify just a bit, this means that in 12 years, that 604,000 number will need to look a lot more like 13.5 million. Think about that for a moment…12 years. Like the song says, that’s a long way to go, and a short time to get there.

Consumer demand, resource availability and other factors could alter the timeline over the next decade, but there is no doubt that the world is on a path toward electrification of the automobile industry, and electric vehicles are changing the way we deliver electricity to you.

And we need your help to make sure the transition goes smoothly.

We know, both through anecdotal evidence and first-hand interactions with many of you, that the number of Columbia Rural Electric Association (REA) members who are buying and/or thinking about buying an EV is increasing rapidly. And with electric vehicles come electric vehicle chargers. Historically, our system was not built to accommodate electric vehicle chargers in large numbers. When we work with building contractors and property owners, we get a good idea of the electrical needs of that site, whether it’s commercial, agricultural or residential, and we plan and build our system accordingly. Until recently, electric vehicle chargers were not part of that equation. 1 or 2 here or there isn’t a big deal. 3
or 4 EV chargers on the same street, or feeding off of a single transformer, can create issues.

“The problem is cumulative, says Jeff Murphy, Columbia REA Manager of Operations. “Our system is very resilient when it comes to handling peak loads and incremental growth as designed, but as more and more homes add EV chargers, and all those electric vehicles get plugged in at the same time in the evening when we already have peak
demands… That’s when we can run into problems. So we need to make sure that the system is designed to handle that new added load.”

Columbia REA is fully invested in the transition to clean power, and the proliferation of electric vehicles is part of that transition. If you are interested in acquiring an electric vehicle and would like to know more about installing a charger at your home or business, give us a call. We even have rebates available (see page 29 of this issue). And please, if you are planning to purchase an electric vehicle, or already have, we would love to know! This kind of information will help us plan for the future, as well as help us keep our system safe and secure right now.