Utilities across the U.S. seek extensions for electric vehicle pilot programs

State lawmakers sought reliability standards for electric vehicle chargers across the United States last quarter, a top trend the NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) identified in its quarterly report, 50 States of Electric Vehicles: Q2 2025.

The report found three trends in electric vehicle actions taken in Q2 2025: 1) policymakers pursuing technical and reliability requirements for charging stations; 2) utilities implementing new make-ready incentives for electric vehicle charging; and 3) utilities targeting pilot program extensions.

“As charging stations become more prevalent, a common concern for states is the trustworthiness of chargers for customers to use,” said Rebekah de la Mora, senior policy analyst at NCCETC. “To that end, policymakers are pursing minimum standards and requirements for chargers to meet, whether they be technical standards, licensing requirements, or reliability baselines.”

NCCETC said the most five notable electric vehicle policy developments of the quarter were:

• The unfreezing of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding in fourteen states;
• Maryland regulators adopting vehicle-to-grid regulations;
• Maryland and Massachusetts delaying implementation of advanced clean cars and trucks rules;
• Connecticut utilities proposing managed charging incentives for multifamily site hosts;
• Entergy Louisiana and Pacific Power proposing new residential managed charging programs in Louisiana and Oregon, respectively.

“Utilities continued proposing new and interesting programs and rate designs for their customers with electric vehicles,” said Brian Lips, NCCETC, program manager. “Utilities are doing what they can to lessen barriers and mitigate the impact of charging on the grid,” he said, which include incentives for make-ready infrastructure, new and expanded managed charging programs, and novel rate designs.

The most notable EV state action, the report said, was when 16 states and the District of Columbia filed a request for injunction with a U.S. District Court in May to unfreeze their NEVI program funding. The judge approved the request in June, reinstating funding for 14 of the applicants. The judge denied the requests from Minnesota, Vermont and The District of Columbia due to a lack of evidence.

Technical and reliability requirements for public charging stations

Lawmakers in states such as Colorado, Maryland, California and Florida pursued technical and reliability requirements for electric vehicle charging stations, the report said. For example, California passed a bill directing the state’s commission to develop uptime reporting requirements specifically for charging stations funded by ratepayers or government incentives.

Make-ready incentives for electric vehicle charging

Investor-owned utilities in New York requested an expansion of their make-ready program for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, the report said. Meanwhile, New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities is currently considering make-ready incentives for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, which were imposed by four investor-owned utilities. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved Madison Gas & Electric’s new make-ready program for commercial customers. Maryland’s regulators are reviewing investor-owned utilities’ Phase II electric vehicle programs, including make-ready incentives for public, commercial fleet, medium- and heavy-duty, public transit, and multifamily charging, the report said.

Utilities target pilot program extensions

Around the country, the report said utilities are targeting pilot program extensions. According to the report, some of the utilities are working to extend the programs as a stopgap until a permanent program exists, while other utilities hope to transition to permanent programs.

For example, the commissions in Oregon and Wisconsin approved extensions for utilities’ charging programs.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is reviewing National Grid’s Phase III EV Infrastructure program, including removing the customer participation caps from its off-peak charging rebate. Meanwhile, Florida regulators are working on Florida Power & Light’s general rate case, including a request to turn four electric vehicle tariffs into permanent rates.

In total, 209 electric vehicle actions were taken during Q2 2025, in addition to 336 introduced bills that have not yet passed a legislative chamber, the report said. Because 2025 is an odd year, every state had a bill session this past spring, state lawmakers overall worked on more legislation than Q2 of the previous year.

NCCETC defined an “action” as legislative bills that had passed at least one chamber, executive orders, and regulatory dockets, utility-rate cases and rulemaking proceedings.

NCCETC is a public service center administered by the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, with a mission to advance a sustainable energy economy by educating, demonstrating and providing support for clean energy technologies, practices, and policies. The Center is known for its DSIRE database that tracks incentives in all 50 states for renewable energy and energy efficiencies.

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