Hartford Business Journal

18 Hartford Business Journal | February 22, 2021 | HartfordBusiness.com to get the state to its EV goals, definitely," said Shanahan of EVSE, which has carved out a niche in chargers with fully retractable cables, a design the company markets as safer and compliant with disability access laws. Shanahan is also hoping the proposed Connecticut incentive programs will help EVSE's new utility-pole-mounted charger gain a foothold in the market here, after initial rollouts with utilities in California and Massachusetts. EVSE has more than 350 charging ports in Connecticut, including at college campuses like UConn, in state parks and beaches, and at various state agency facilities, including DEEP's Hartford headquarters. DEEP is retooling CHEAPR's incentive structure at the legislature's direction, adding used-vehicle and low-income components. But the agency had not announced any specific changes as of press time. Dykes said the fact that higher- end EV models continue to sell shows that the rebates may not influence buying decisions. "We're not trying to create windfalls," she said. "EVs are for everyone." Internal combustion remains dominant Connecticut has seen steady increases in the number of electric vehicles on the roads in recent years. Even during the pandemic, the total number of battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars registered with the state's Department of Motor Vehicles climbed 18%. However, that's still only 13,800 EVs, or under 1% of the approximately 2.4 million light-duty fossil fuel cars and trucks registered in the state. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on Connecticut's goal of putting 125,000 EVs on the road by 2025, a benchmark set under a 2014 memorandum of understanding with California and a group of other states. The goal gets steeper by 2030, when 500,000 EVs will is working to catch up to EV leaders like California, New York and Massachusetts, where charging incentives have been more robust. "Right now, Connecticut is behind other states in infrastructure," he said, particularly on highway chargers. "And it's a chicken-and-egg problem: No one buys an EV if they can't charge it." While the state has lagged in some ways on EV policy, Vosper said it's been a desirable home for a charger manufacturer, as the state's advanced manufacturing base has provided the skilled employees — from electricians to programmers to metal benders — that JuiceBar needs. "We haven't had a problem finding talented people," he said. "We've looked at other locations, we've looked at offshoring and we could probably save a little bit of money on labor costs by going to China or India, but we picked that back up again in shipping costs. We're able to get very good quality control by having everything here in the state." JuiceBar and EVSE must keep focused on major EV states, which account for the bulk of the nearly 7,000 charging ports they've collectively installed, but are looking forward to an expected surge in home- state business from PURA's proposed incentives and other programs. "It's a major initiative and it will provide the momentum Up all night with the new tax act? I am, also. But studying, not worrying. Major change is at hand and the new tax act has many business owners concerned. Choice of entity? The new CT tax work around? Interest limitations? SALT caps? Flow through deduction? Should I even stay in CT? These are a few of the questions I deal with every day. As a Tax Partner at Federman, Lally & Remis, my thirty years of experience can help you through this particularly challenging year. From routine compliance to sophisticated planning and structure, we are here to help avoid sleepless nights and new tax act nightmares. There are some big winners in the new tax world. We can help your business be one of them. – Debbie Denno, CPA 231 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06032 | 860-678-7100 | www.flrcpa.com " " Change is a constant and I fi nd that we give our clients peace of mind. Daniel Shanahan Katie Dykes be needed in order to reach the state's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by at least 45% below 2001 levels by 2030. Those EV targets may seem unachievable, given the historic pace of adoption in the state, but Dykes said she expects that falling EV prices, increasing buy- in from automakers, a Democratic presidential administration, and Connecticut's ongoing policy efforts will lead to a significant acceleration. "The good news is we have a partner in Washington now that prioritizes action on the climate," she said. "The engines of our economy are working towards reducing emissions, and that's really good news." Connecticut recently ranked 13th in an EV ranking from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, which uses various data points — from EV adoption rates to rebates and incentives — to rank states. Converging initiatives on the state and federal levels will boost Connecticut's standing in the years ahead, predicts Bryan Garcia, CEO and president of the quasi-public Connecticut Green Bank, which is working to make EV chargers a standard offering in its efficiency financing program for commercial buildings, C-PACE. "I think we're going to see Connecticut within the top 10, easily," Garcia said. EV workforce quality At JuiceBar, Vosper said he is excited his company's home state Enfield-based EVSE LLC's retracting-cable chargers (shown above) can be found at state agencies, colleges and other properties in Connecticut and beyond. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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