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“Electric Vehicles (EVs) are rising in popularity each year and are set to become the future of electrification transportation in the coming years,” said El Paso Electric (EPE) Supervisor of Electrification Angie Rodriguez.
EPE is doing everything it can to help individual consumers, families, businesses and government entities learn about the advantages of EVs over internal combustion engines that burn gasoline and diesel fuel.
“Electrification has topped our list of priorities for several years,” Rodriguez said. “Electrification will play a critical role in reaching our carbon reduction goals to provide 80 percent of our power from carbon-free resources by 2035 and 100 percent carbon free by 2045,” she said.
EPE has a webpage dedicated to EVs: www.epelectric.com/ev, that will answer questions about EVs and “enable customers to discover available EV models, compare vehicles to each other and learn about available incentives,” said Rodriguez, who drives an EV herself.
The webpage includes these topics: the cost of EV ownership (including an online calculator to estimate the cost of electricity vs. gasoline and diesel fuel), environmental impact, performance and convenience; buying an EV, either a fully electric or hybrid model; finding the EV that best suits your needs; EV incentives offered in New Mexico; EPE’s commercial and residential EV charging-station rebates, including online forms to apply; EV charging at home and in public, including the locations of public charging stations in EPE’s service area; EPE’s EV incentives and charging rates; frequently asked questions, including, “How will charging an EV affect my electric bill?”; and a link to EPE’s EV customer outreach program to keep EV owners informed.
Last December, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approved EPE’s Transportation and Electrification Plan (TEP) and authorized EPE to invest more than $1.2 million in EV infrastructure, education and outreach in its southern New Mexico service territory, EPE said in a news release. See the full TEP at www.epelectric.com/ renewables-tech/electric-vehicles/transportation-electrification-plan.
Rodriguez said supply-chain issues should be resolved by the end of the year, making it easier for consumers to purchase the EV model they want, either online or at dealerships.
She said EPE has been in touch with governments and school districts throughout its service area about electrification of school buses and fleets. The City of Las Cruces has begun a conversion from internal combustion engine vehicles to EVs. A resolution passed by the city council in 2021 calls for 50 percent of the eligible fleet to be replaced by electric vehicles by 2030.
For more information, contact Rodriguez at 915-521-4465 and angie.rodriguez@epelectric.com. You can also contact EPE about EVs at 915-543-5711, extension 5173, and ev@epelectric.com.
