How are utility companies preparing for increased energy usage predicted by 2030? Right now, the picture doesn’t look too rosy. “What we’ve found was that very few utilities have made a lot of effort to date in terms of their electric vehicle project deployments,” Myers said of a recent SEPA report.

The report surveyed nearly 500 utilities and discovered that just over 300 had not done any activity at all. “The vast majority—three-fourths—were in what we would call the early stage, which essentially means they’re starting to get their feet wet in the technology and they’re putting EV information on their websites for their consumers, but beyond that … really not taking the next step into things like charging infrastructure, deployment in the public or workplace, or late stage activity,” she said.

Myers also discussed another big concern—can the current U.S. electrical grids handle increased demand from EV vehicle charging? “The grid today is a modern marvel,” she said. “We have invested trillions of dollars into this infrastructure that works amazingly well. We are very blessed here in this country to have such a reliable and affordable grid.”

Each week a new Convenience Matters episode is released. The weekly podcast can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play Music and Stitcher and at www.conveniencematters.com. Episodes have been downloaded by listeners more than 39,000 times in more than 95 countries.

About NACS
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, serves 160 million customers daily—half of the U.S. population—and has sales that are 10.8% of total U.S. retail and foodservice sales. NACS has 2,100 retailer and 1,750 supplier members from more than 50 countries.

NACS Contact:
Jeff Lenard
V.P., Strategic Industry Initiatives
703-518-4272