NERC, WECC and the California Mobility Center (CMC) recently agreed to form a working group to assess the risks to the bulk power system of the anticipated increase in electric vehicle charging loads across the U.S. and the steps that could be taken to mitigate those risks.

Early participation in the working group includes representatives from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Southern California Edison, General Motors and members of the CMC, a partnership of government and industry that supports clean mobility innovation such as electric buses and EV charging.

“Electricity consumption by plug-in electric vehicles across North America will grow exponentially over the next decade,” Arlen Orchard, CMC chair and former SMUD CEO, said in a joint announcement of the agreement June 29. “The rapid rate of growth poses significant implications to electric system reliability if left unaddressed. This significant collaboration will support electric system reliability and importantly, a successful transition to mass electric vehicle adoption.”

The effort with NERC and WECC “is precisely the type of inter-industry collaboration the CMC seeks to foster,” Orchard said.

As the nation increases its efforts to electrify transportation and reduce carbon emissions, the working group will “increase information sharing and knowledge among the growing EV equipment, software and services system, the electricity industry and other stakeholders about reliability risks and mitigation strategies,” the joint statement said.

The formation of the working group follows a CMC webinar in March on reliability risks from EV charging.

“The North American grid must adapt and prepare for … changes, and this type of cross-sector collaboration … is critical if we are all to be successful,” NERC CEO Jim Robb said in the statement. “NERC is committed to working with stakeholders to unify our efforts in these areas, and this is a great example of us working with others in the ecosystem to advance our shared reliability goals.”

WECC CEO Melanie Frye said the “West is at the forefront of the nation’s efforts to decarbonize the grid and electrify the transportation sector. The collective and interdependent impact of these actions will significantly alter energy usage profiles in a way that could substantially affect the reliability of the bulk power system.”

“Bringing together grid reliability experts with vehicle manufacturers creates an opportunity to proactively address the range of reliability implications,” Frye said.