Successful NorthEast Electric Vehicle Symposium Headlines a Busy Year

EV Conferences and Showcases

• NorthEast Electric Vehicle Symposium – Over 300 people joined us over 2 days to test drive EVs and hear presentations on buying/owning an EV, along with public policy. Public Regulatory Authority Chair, Marissa Gillett, was our featured speaker. She described the Equitable Modern Grid Initiative that is designed to enable a cost-effective, economy-wide transition to a decarbonized future, along with changing the utility regulatory regime from volumetric to performance-based (utility compensation tied to performance goals rather than capital investment). Our full conference agenda can be found here. We thank our presenters, panelists, exhibitors and all of our sponsors. BMW was the presenting sponsor and brought 3 of our test ride vehicles.
• Participated in Drive Electric Week showcases in Rocky Hill and Central CT State University.
• We promote other Events throughout the state and help recruit EV owners to exhibit.

Rocky Hill EV Showcase                                 NEEVS Policy                                                   NEEVS EV Showcase – Rivian e-delivery van

Speaking and Panels

• Panelist in Sierra Club webinar on producing a Drive Electric Week event.
• Presentation to the CT Energy Network.
• The CT Roundtable for Climate Virtual Event – “Transportation Infrastructure and Electric Vehicles in CT”
• Presentation at Simsbury Earth Day Fair
• Gabe Shenhar of Consumer Reports presenting reviews of the latest EVs

Forth Mobility Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL)

• The EV Club was awarded Bronze EVAL status

The News You Can Use

• We published 45 blog posts and a mostly monthly newsletter to keep you on top of local EV issues. These may be club-specific or other EV-related items that are not well covered, if at all, by the general press.
• Rivian fought its way through a spurious lawsuit to be able to open a service center in Shelton.

• Enel X Way abruptly withdrew from North America, leaving residential customers with potentially dangerous EV chargers. This equipment had been a part of the approved products to receive the charging incentives from Eversource and UI but had to be withdrawn.
• EV Club worked with the Town of Westport to develop policies for its Town-owned public chargers.
• EV adoption in environmental justice communities.
• Tesla Opens Second CT Service Center in Stamford – EV Club invited to ribbon cutting.

Incentives

• We stay on top of the federal and state incentives to purchase or lease an EV and the incentives offered through Eversource and UI to charge during off-peak times. The state CHEAPR program is undergoing changes in 2025. We will follow changes to the federal IRA incentives should the new administration move to repeal or restrict them.

Legislation

• The environmental community has found the past few years to be frustrating. Nevertheless, we participate and play our part with testimony and/or op-eds submitted on the following bills.
  • Testified against SB 343 that would have banned EV chargers in garages, any garage. This did not pass.
  • In favor of HB 5231, 5232, and 5052 to raise the limits on the amount of non-residential solar. There have been modest increases approved.
  • HB 5204 – approval for low-speed vehicles (LSVs) on public roads with low speed limits. LSVs can be a practical and low-impact form of transportation. We support this but our feeling is that only electric LSVs should be allowed. The legislation passed without an EV requirement.
  • Advanced Clean Cars II – This is the politically controversial second phase of the California fuel efficiency rules. We participated in the ACC II working group and supported adopting this as our neighbors NY, MA, and RI have done. This did not clear the legislative review committee in 2023 and was not submitted for consideration in 2024. A diluted variation of this, HB 5485, mostly a study bill, did not pass.
  • There was no direct sales bill raised in committee. It was proposed by a member of the Transportation Committee but not raised by the committee chairs. Direct sales, while supported by 83% of CT voters in this 2021 poll, has repeatedly been stymied by the influence of the dealerships. Add to that Elon Musk having alienated much of the Democratic Caucus and prospects are dim.

First Responder Training in New Haven – EV Club Members Brought Their Vehicles

Data

• Continued tracking of EV adoption in CT in blog posts and the dashboard.
• Continued reporting on the most EV friendly dealerships.

We thank all of our members and contributors who make this possible.

Absence of Software Could Cause a Failure to Regulate Current

We’re not trying to be alarmist but we are trying to help spread the word of a potentially serious safety situation.

Abrupt Departure

Enel X Way, the manufacturer of JuiceBox EV charging equipment, made an announcement on October 2nd that was shocking in its abruptness. The company said it was pulling out of North America as of October 11th. As far as we know, there was no advance warning given to commercial or residential customers, or to utilities that include this equipment in managed charging programs. That was the case locally with Eversource and UI, which have been trying to find a path forward.

Without the software, the commercial units do not work. Initial reports were that residential equipment could be used as a “dumb” charger,” meaning there would be no app functionality or connectivity and, unless a workaround were developed, customer enrollments in managed charging programs with this equipment would be terminated. That has probably happened at this point.

Inability to Control Amperage

Consumer Reports sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission in October, which was co-signed by 65 JuiceBox owners. Among the lengthy list of issues they raise, two in particular stand out. First, absent the software, there could be the loss of “potentially critical‬ functionality that allows them to adjust the amperage coming into the car from the charger. This‬ means that consumers who are unable to adjust their settings before the October 11 deadline‬ could see their chargers push too much amperage into the vehicle, potentially damaging the‬ EV’s battery, shorting out their breaker box, and posing a risk of fire.‬”

Uncertain Path Forward

Since the initial announcement, it has been reported, for example here, that‭ the company has hired B. Riley Advisory Services to organize a managed liquidation and auction of its assets with an eye to maintaining functionality. This may be more difficult than it sounds. Enel X does not embed the Open Charge Point Protocol into its equipment in a way that makes it straightforward to migrate to another company’s platform. So, a hoped for short-term bridge solution is probably not in the cards.

Security Flaw

That leads to the second serious issue which is, again according to Consumer Reports, a security flaw in the software that can expose a user’s WiFi credentials. This is from the chip and firmware used in the equipment made by Silicon Labs, and there are no plans to update it. From the perspective of the utilities, even if the equipment comes back on line, this security flaw could represent potential exposure. If the equipment does come back online, it is not likely to be able to be re-enrolled in managed charging. These products have been removed from the qualified products list (QPL) by both Eversource and UI.

Consumer Reports characterizes the company’s behavior as “egregious,” and notes that these level 2 chargers cost about $600 (residential) to as much as $1600 (commercial).

For managed charging, the quickest way to get back online is to re-enroll using telematics if you have an eligible vehicle. Regardless of managed charging participation, the safest route forward is to replace the charger. Unfortunately, it is not permitted for the utilities to give another incentive. The program design does not include eventualities for companies that bug-out.

The Consumer Reports letter concludes by asking the Federal Trade Commission to take action to protect consumers on the basis that this constitutes a deceptive or unfair business practice.

Idling Fees Waived for Overnight Charging at Baldwin

The EV charging stations located in the Baldwin lot in downtown Westport, installed a year ago, have a fee of $.35 per kWh. However, this is a timed lot, and for any EV sitting at a charger longer than the 3-hour limit, an idling fee is charged following a 15-minute grace period. It is $10/hour, charged in 15 minute increments.

These are 80-amp level 2 chargers. While an EV can get a fair amount of charge (depending on the speed enabled by the vehicle’s onboard charger) in 3 hours, it isn’t enough time to fully charge from a near depleted state. We have heard from some folks who live near downtown and do not have charging at home who would like to use these for longer than the current limit.

That is now being enabled by the town. We don’t have all the details yet concerning specific hours and when the network vendor, EVConnect, will have it enabled, but the idling fees are being waived for overnight parking. The standard per kWh rate still applies. This will help nearby EV owners to charge and will mean additional utilization/more revenue for the town.

Also, there are no idling fees for the chargers in the Metro-North commuter lots.

We applaud the town for taking this step and will update with more specifics as we learn of them.

Allowing overnight charging at public chargers can reduce charging anxiety, generally speaking. It is a particularly great approach if situated near multi-family housing where available charging options may be limited.

Changes to Battery Rules and Used EV Supply

2025 will bring a large increase in the supply of eligible used EVs and new restrictions on battery critical minerals and component manufacturing..

Changes in Battery Sourcing Rules

Each year, the law requires a step-up in the minimum source-compliant rules for batteries.

• The percentage of critical minerals sourced either domestically or from a free-trade partner increases from 50% to 60%.
• The battery-module manufacturing requirement remains at 60% from North America.
• IRS loosened rules around the sourcing of graphite to take effect in 2025.
• Foreign entity of concern rules now apply to battery assembly as well as critical mineral sourcing. That means that for the 40% that does not have to come eligible sources, none can come from any entity deemed a FEOC. Of course, this is mainly China, but applies to some other places as well.

Many vehicles lost eligibility in 2024 as the requirements became more stringent and the first part of the FEOC kicked-in. On the other hand, the industry is grateful for the recent flexibility on graphite, an area in which China is even more dominant.

The OEMs are working hard to wrangle their supply chains to become compliant. We expect a gradual increase in eligible vehicles as new plants open in North America.

The above rules apply only to consumer purchases. They do not apply for leases or commercial purchases. On the basis of a controversial IRS ruling, these vehicles are not required to comply with the consumer purchase rules. It has driven skyrocketing increases in the rate of EV leases. According to Kelly Blue Book, leases now account for almost half of new EV sales and have surpassed financing as the preferred method for acquiring a new EV.

Used EV Incentive

This is one area where there will be a significant change for the better. Despite the gloom and doom reporting, EV sales are growing. In CT, EVs represented 10.4% of all new vehicle sales in Q2 of this year, according to CT DEEP. The July Connecticut DMV registration data show that EV registrations increased by 45% year on year, on top of a similar increase the year before.

What that means is that increasing numbers of EVs are eligible for the used incentive. The rule regarding vehicle age is that the model year of the vehicle must be at least 2 years older than the current calendar year. So, as of January, all of the 2023 EVs become eligible. Every year, the pool will increase.

There are lots of other rules around new and used EVs. See our Incentives page for a full description.

Enel X to Continue to Support Chargers…For Now

We have published a previous post and updates following the announcement from Enel X, maker of JuiceBox chargers, of their abrupt withdrawal from the North American market. The original announcement was that while the chargers would work, the software would no longer be available. Not only would that negate the smart charger functionality of the equipment, these units were approved for the charging incentives offered by Eversource and UI and they would no longer be able to track compliance with the managed charging program. Commercial chargers would be completely dead without the software.

Subsequent to the initial announcement, Enel X said they would continue to support the software for both residential and commercial for the time being. Per UI, Enel plans to auction off their North American business to a third party.

Still Solving for Managed Charging

Having some interim software support for the chargers does not equate to the utilities being able to track the data they need. UI reports that at present it has lost visibility and that  its back-end provider is working on a solution with Enel. This may take a couple of weeks. At that point, they expect to be back in business until at least the end of the year. This prospective solution may work beyond that but that is still tbd at this time.

UI and Eversource have different back-end providers, so it is not a given that there is a solution in the offing for Eversource. We have not received an update from them.

Vehicle Connection (Telematics)

If your vehicle is able to enroll via telematics, both utilities recommend going that route. For your viewing pleasure, below is a list of every eligible telematics vehicle. The list is not identical for Eversource and UI.

An Example of How Distributed Resources Create Resilience

A club-member received this text message from a friend who lives in Stuart, FL, a city on the eastern coast of the state where Hurricane Milton came through as a category 1 storm after spawning tornadoes. It is a good illustration of how EVs and distributed energy resources can contribute to resilience.

“Thanks for checking in.  Our home is fine…survived beautifully….never lost power thanks to Tesla Powerwalls.   The rest of the community and county had some major power issues.   Tornado touched down about 3 blocks away, no injuries, just more  power outages in the area. Also, some trees down and turned over a semi-truck.  Hospital (family run Vet hospital) lost power around midnight, but I powered it from the Cybertruck until the power came back around 2pm this afternoon.   At home, we had trimmed all the trees earlier this week,  so only a few branches down.  That’s about it.   Nothing like North Carolina.”

Enel X Way, Maker of JuiceBox EV Chargers That Are Part of the CT EV Charging Incentive Program, Shutting Down in North America

Update Oct. 13 – Enel X has apparently found a workaround and software service will not be disrupted. (Customer service for the hardware is offline.) This is an article in Electrek with more detail. Based on this, participants in the managed charging programs should be able to continue. We have had several members send us communications from Enel X or the utilities. Please keep us updated.

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Enel had previously announced big plans for a USA and Canada charging network, including installing 10,000 DCFC chargers by 2030. Now they are closing it down, though they are a huge company that remains in business in many other countries.

According to a statement posted on the JuiceBox website:

“After careful consideration, Enel X Way North America has decided to close its electric mobility business in the US and Canada, operated by the local subsidiary of Enel X Way USA, effective October 11, 2024.”

This is what they say about how it affects customers:

• Residential charging hardware (JuiceBox) will maintain the physical operating ability to charge vehicles, but that is it. (In other words, they become dumb chargers.)
• All Enel X Way software will be discontinued. Commercial charging stations will no longer work absent software.
• The Enel X Way App and all other Enel e-mobility apps in North America will be discontinued and removed from the App Store.
• Enel X Way customer support is no longer available, effective immediately. Any Enel X Way related questions and claims should be directed in the coming days to the claims information page (available soon). (The emphasis is theirs.)

The entire website, except for this one status page has been taken offline.

Impact on Managed Charging Incentives

There are Juicebox chargers that are approved equipment for EV charging incentives offered through Eversource and United Illuminating. Without software support, it will not be possible for the consumer to schedule charging nor for the utility to track it. The utilities were not given advance notice of the Enel decision.

We have been forwarded a few emails from members that were sent from Eversource and Enel X. Enel X is reporting that they are working to transition to the software of a third party. It sounds like they have made progress and there may be no interruption in service.

The emails we have seen from Eversource haven’t yet mentioned this. It may well be coming. But at this point, they suggest that if a vehicle is eligible for telematics, the customer can re-enroll and continue that way. Otherwise, they will be paid out through September and no longer part of the program. There is also the opportunity to subsequently re-enroll if the charger is replaced with an approved unit.

GM vehicles, which are not on the Eversource list of eligible telematics vehicles, are apparently able to connect through OnStar, which may require a paid subscription. GM vehicles are on the list of UI telematics vehicles.

Above photo is a wrapped Cybertruck which ships with the stainless steel body panels. We have seen lots of folks having fun with wrapping it.

First Public Test Drives of a Cybertruck to Be Offered at NorthEast Electric Vehicle Symposium

Tesla has confirmed that they will offer supervised Cybertruck test drives. This will be the first public test drive of the Cybertruck offered in the state. We hope you can join us!

Steer By Wire, High Voltage Architecture

While there are many strong opinions about this polarizing vehicle, Tesla has introduced features that have not yet been rolled out to other models. The vehicle is reportedly extremely nimble due to 4-wheel steering and steer-by-wire. A little bit of pressure on the steering wheel sends a signal down the wire to the motors, making for extremely responsive handling. This ~6500 pound vehicle will handle like a compact car.

The truck has an 800-volt architecture which, for high-power EVSE, will make for blazingly fast charging speeds. The other thing 800 volt architecture does is reduce the amount of wiring needed.

The not so low-voltage battery is a 48 volt lithium ion battery. We have been living with 12-volt since the mid-fifties (before then, the standard was 6-volt). Over the past 70 years, way more electronics have been introduced into vehicles. It is only a matter of time until higher power levels become the norm.

Here’s Where to Go Cybertruckin

NorthEast Electric Vehicle Symposium

Date/Time: Sunday, September 15th, 12-4

Location: Hotel Marcel, 500 Sargent Drive, New Haven, CT

Policy symposium on Monday, September 16th

The event page is here.

Free registration is required. We do have a capacity limitation. Please register here.

Other available test drive vehicles include the BMW i4, i5, and iX, the Rivian R1T and R1S, and the Alfa Romeo Tonale. It is permitted to test drive multiple vehicles. That will be arranged separately.

Attendees can register for either or both days.

For any questions, please contact us at info@evclubct.com

Under Construction – Photo above is a selfie from YouTuber Out of Spec Dave, taken when he visited the new service facility last month before it was completed. Used with permission.

Opening Set for August 19th

The new Tesla service location in Stamford is set for a soft open on August 19th, with the official opening to follow in September. An announcement in April from Royal Properties indicated that Tesla had leased a 42,000 square foot location at 106 Commerce Road in Stamford. It is off I-95, exit 6, near the border of Old Greenwich. It is in a commercial district with lots of nearby shops and restaurants.

There will be a limited number of appointments booked in August while the facility ramps up over the course of the next month. Tesla still has its other CT service center in Milford. Stamford is in Fairfield County, which is home to 39% of all EVs in the state. Teslas make up 44% of all the EVs and 66% of all the battery electric vehicles in Fairfield County.

Of course, we all know there is a need for a service center upstate and Tesla was thwarted when trying to build in East Hartford and South Windsor.

Service, Not Sales

It can’t be said enough. This is a service center only. Connecticut’s particular flavor of free-market capitalism forbids Tesla and other EV manufacturers that don’t sell through dealerships from opening stores (unless you happen to be located on tribal land, which is not subject to the state franchise laws).

There will be a formal reception to inaugurate the new facility. Stay tuned.

Update – Opening postponed to August 26th.

Post by Barry Kresch

The Utilities and PURA Have Worked Out Their Differences

I spoke today to United Illuminating and they advise that they and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission have come to a meeting of the minds. The EV charging incentives are back and here to stay, that this is not merely a “suspension of the suspension.”

The incentive program is the same for both Eversource and UI, except for some minor differences in approved chargers and telematics vehicles due to the companies using different third-party program implementers. Eversource advises that they ended up not pausing the incentives.

Eversource further advises that these are the current status in terms of funds availability in the different parts of the program. (We don’t have status from UI.)

• Most business level 2 verticals are filled except for Workplace. They are putting new applicants on a waitlist.
• Level 2 residential is still available.
• DCFC applications are being accepted through September 1.

UI’s claim is that the dispute centered around timely reimbursement. The program is a pass-through. They get reimbursed for the funds outlay and carrying charges, but do not make a profit on this. Delays in the reimbursement may cause them to delay other investments or potentially impact their cost of capital.

We don’t feel in a position to critically evaluate their assertions vis a vis PURA, but that is what we heard today. Regardless, it is good news that the dispute is behind us.