From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

You might’ve noticed during the Super Bowl this year a lot of attention paid to electric vehicles (EVs) by manufacturers. In fact, I don’t recall a non-EV car ad, although there might’ve been one or two. Last year’s rolling blackouts during February’s prolonged, extreme cold stretch brought public attention to the capacity of the electric grid. What exactly can it handle? Is it equipped to accommodate widespread adoption of EVs? Or could an abundance of EV charging lead to more blackouts? Fortunately, power suppliers have been preparing for EV adoption for years now and don’t foresee major issues if widespread EV adoption comes to pass.

While longtime manufacturers like Ford and Chevy are aggressively pursuing the EV market and setting lofty goals, we’re also seeing many startups being created. I suspect we will be seeing and hearing more about EVs in Oklahoma for the simple fact that electricity rates here are lower than many parts of the country. In fact, Canoo — an EV startup — chose Oklahoma for its manufacturing facility, which is expected to be operational in late 2023.

If EVs are widely adopted at some point in the future, power supply can be managed simply by moving EV charging to off-peak hours. The entire electric system is built to handle the load of a summer afternoon when the majority of people get home and crank up their air conditioners. Adding much more to that time of day could put a strain on the system, however EVs can be charged overnight, when supply is abundant — and cheaper.

That’s one of the reasons we offer our Time-of-Use rate and EV rate to members. Those who are willing and able to shift a large portion of their energy use to overnight hours — heating/cooling, running dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, using a timer on your electric water heater, charging your EV, etc. — can see savings on their power bills, especially in the summer.

In all, widespread adoption of EVs and charging them overnight can complement the existing infrastructure and actually lower costs for everyone by taking advantage of off-peak hours. Even if you don’t have an EV and don’t plan on purchasing one, you can still take advantage of your power costs by considering our alternative rates. Visit www.okcoop.org/rates for more information and to switch rates.