A new program from Ameren Missouri hopes to encourage electric vehicle use amongst Missouri residents and businesses to help conserve energy within the area.
Ameren Missouri on Thursday has announced that the company has filed its Charge Ahead program with the Missouri Public Service Commission. According to a press release, the energy company is focused to encourage its Missouri customers to use electricity in ways that provide reduced emissions, lower overall energy costs and improve productivity.
If approved, the program would allow for new incentives for installation of workplace, and public electric vehicle charging stations as well as fast-charging electric vehicle stations near interstate highways.
In addition, the company will have incentives for commercial customers transitioning to electric machinery such as forklifts and other material-handling equipment.
Michael Moehn, president of Ameren Missouri, said the new initiative with not only move Missouri into the future for energy saving initiatives but also provide lower costs to its customers.
“Our Charge Ahead program is designed with Missouri’s future in mind by eliminating the barriers for EV charging and promoting the use of more efficient and cleaner electric equipment in commercial settings and on our roads,” Moehn said in a written statement. “At the same time, the program will help provide lower costs to customers, improve air quality by reducing emissions and help promote economic growth by ensuring Missouri maintains a competitive business environment.”
In addition to increasing access to electric vehicle charging stations, the Charge Ahead program will offer other incentives for Ameren Missouri’s commercial customers transitioning to electric equipment.
The new program will also allow for a change in Ameren Missouri’s line-extension policy, which will make accessing and connecting to the electric grid easier and more affordable for commercial and industrial customer.
According to Ameren Missouri, the Charge Ahead program supports the energy company’s goal of transitioning its energy generation to cleaner sources while ensuring reliability and keeping customer rates affordable.
In 2017, Ameren Missouri announced a $1 billion investment in alternative energy sources. This investment will include building wind turbines in Missouri and surrounding states and result in the generation of 700 megawatts of wind-generated power by 2020.
The company stated that it also plans to add 100 megawatts of solar-generated power over the next 10 years, with 50 megawatts expected to come on line by 2025. This is Ameren Missouri’s largest-ever commitment to clean, renewable energy.