Southern California Edison Unveils Online ‘Plug-in Car Rate Assistant’ to Estimate Cost of Fueling Electric Vehicles

ROSEMEAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--If you’re thinking of buying a plug-in electric vehicle, steer your web browser to www.sce.com/pev to find Southern California Edison’s (SCE) new online “Plug-in Car Rate Assistant.” It will put customers in the driver’s seat to estimate the cost of fueling an electric vehicle and the impact on their electricity bill.

“The online car rate assistant will provide an idea of the bill impacts and the benefits of charging electric vehicles during off-peak hours, 9 p.m. to noon. It’s important for customers to understand the advantages of the various rate plans”

After SCE customers provide facts such as location, daily power usage, vehicle type (such as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or battery-electric vehicle), mileage, and time of day use (on- or off-peak), the plug-in car rate assistant will provide an estimated comparison of the average monthly electricity and gasoline bills.

Steve Powell, SCE’s manager of Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness, said, “The online car rate assistant will provide an idea of the bill impacts and the benefits of charging electric vehicles during off-peak hours, 9 p.m. to noon. It’s important for customers to understand the advantages of the various rate plans,” Powell said.

SCE’s plug-in electric vehicle website also features the first of three educational videos listing the steps necessary to become plug-in ready. Upcoming videos will include questions customers should ask when thinking about buying an electric vehicle and a description of SCE’s efforts now underway to meet the coming of plug-in electric vehicles.

The website provides a host of valuable resources for customers to consider before purchasing an electric vehicle. Once customers know the type of electric vehicle they want to purchase, visit www.sce.com/pev and take these three important steps:

Complete SCE’s ‘Getting Plug-In Ready Checklist’

• Review vehicle charging options and recommendations.
• Become familiar with SCE’s electric vehicle rate options and charging implications.
• Engage an electrical contractor to evaluate current residential charging capabilities and to provide an estimate for any electrical work to make the home plug-in ready.

Contact SCE to Select an Electric Vehicle Rate

• Discuss vehicle choice and charging preferences, and explore electric vehicle rate options by calling an SCE representative at 1 (800) 4EV-INFO, or 1 [phone]. SCE customers have three rate options to choose from. They can keep their standard residential rate, switch to a single time-of-use rate for the entire house, or add a second meter to track the electric vehicle energy usage on a separate rate.

Perform any Necessary Home Equipment Upgrades

• Authorize an electrical contractor to obtain required permits and complete desired electrical work.
• Obtain any required city electrical inspections.

SCE’s new plug-in car rate assistant and educational videos are part of the company’s ongoing electric vehicle readiness effort focused on impacts to the utility’s infrastructure and education of customers.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.