Review of EV Subscription and Managed Charging Pilot
On behalf of the Southern Environmental Law Center, Synapse participated in rate design working groups and authored an expert report on Duke Energy's proposed electric vehicle (EV) subscription charging pilot. Synapse raised concerns that the proposed pilot is based on a flat monthly fee, and therefore does not provide participants with meaningful price signals. This design fails to enhance customers’ understanding of how energy consumption impacts both emissions and costs on the grid, sends messages at odds with other tariffs, and rewards higher usage customers and discourages more energy efficient EVs. For these reasons, Synapse recommended that any subscription pricing plan only be offered during off-peak hours when costs and emissions on the grid are low, and that any managed charging tariffs be offered in combination with a volumetric rate of some form.