It's possible, but Duke Energy says it's ready to adapt to a spike in demand by beefing up the grid and giving consumers incentives to charge vehicles during off-peak hours. Power concerns and lack of public infrastructure could be stifling widespread EV adoption.
THE HOUR. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES TOUTED AS THE KEY TO DECARBONIZING TRANSPORTATION. BUT TRULY CLEAN. ARE THEY RIGHT NOW IS OUR POWER GRID ACTUALLY READY FOR EVS TO TAKE OFF WRAL, CLIMATE CHANGE? REPORTER LIZ MCLAUGHLIN DIGS INTO THOSE QUESTIONS. >> ON THE ROAD TO A FUTURE OF LOWER EMISSIONS. MORE THAN 31,000 NORTH CAROLINIANS HAVE ALREADY MADE THE SWITCH TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES. THE EV MARKET SHARE NOW A HALF PERCENT IN THE STATE IS GROWING AT A RELATIVELY SLOW PACE. >> OF COURSE, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT ADOPTING ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HESITANT ABOUT USING THEM. AND THAT'S THE MAIN ISSUE. HE'S BASICALLY CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERS AT NC STATE ARE DEVELOPING MODELS TO DETERMINE HOW TO BEST COMBAT CHALLENGES OF DEMAND LOCATION AND POTENTIAL POWER GRID. OVERWHELM EXPANDING THE PARK IS A IS GREAT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE TO TALKING PROPERLY BEFORE MAINSTREAM ADOPTION IS POSSIBLE. THE WAY WE GENERATE AND DISTRIBUTE POWER WILL NEED AN UPGRADE. BUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TO MANAGE THE CHARGING SO WE DON'T HAVE THIS GREAT INFLUX OF NEW DEMAND ON THE SYSTEM THAT MAKES US HAVE TO BUILD NEW POWER PLANTS. DUKE ENERGY IS CURRENTLY ADDING 200 CHARGING STATIONS ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS PLANNING TO EXPAND EV INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG THE STATE'S ROADWAYS USING 109 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS FROM THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW THAT WILL GO TOWARDS THINGS SUCH AS DC FAST CHARGERS WHICH GO ALONG MAJOR HIGHWAYS AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO GO AND TAKE LONG CAR TRIPS AND AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. >> WE'LL ALSO GO TOWARDS A LEVEL 2 CHARGER. THIS IS A LEVEL 2 CHARGER RIGHT HERE. THOSE CHARGERS CAN TAKE HOURS AND COSTS MORE THAN HOME CHARGING, WHICH ISN'T AN OPTION FOR MANY NORTH CAROLINIANS RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT EQUITY IN EV INFRASTRUCTURE. THERE ARE SOME REGIONAL DISPARITIES AND SO RIGHT NOW, THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF PUBLIC CHARGING IS AVAILABLE IN THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND NOT IN THE RURAL AREAS. FACTORS TO CONSIDER. >> BEFORE EV ADOPTION MOVES INTO THE FAST LANE. LIZ MCLAUGHLIN, WRAL NEWS. >> OVER HALF OF THE RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS FOR CHARGERS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ARE IN DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES AND THAT ALIGNS WITH THE JUSTICE 40 INITIATIVE AND ALLOCATE AT LEAST 40% OF FEDERAL INVESTMENT
