Duke Energy’s EV Make Ready Credit program will lower installation costs for charging station owners

The North Carolina Utility Commission has approved Duke Energy's EV Make Ready Credit (MRC) program, one of several pro-EV initiatives that the utility has in the pipeline.

As the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) explains, make-ready programs reduce the cost of deploying EV charging infrastructure for charging station owners by giving utilities the responsibility for providing the necessary power connections. Utilities are expected to recover the cost of grid upgrades over time by selling electricity to the EVs that will charge at the stations.

Duke is now permitted to perform the electrical work needed to bring power from the electricity grid to an EV charging station, including transformer upgrades, conduit, and wires; and to provide residential, multi-family and non-residential customers with installation credits to cover fees paid to electrical contractors to install charging stations.

Depending on various factors, Duke can calculate the anticipated revenue it will receive from a particular charging station, and apply that future revenue as a credit against the customer's out-of-pocket cost to install the charger.

North Carolina is currently rolling out its $63-million Phase 2 Volkswagen Settlement program to support EV charging station deployment. The state also expects to receive the first tranche of the $109 million in federal funding it has been allocated under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program later this year. SACE says the MRC program will allow these public dollars to stretch further by lowering charging station installation costs.