Status Report on Electrification Policy: Where to Next?

Purpose of Review As the carbon intensity of electricity generation declines, electrification of vehicles, buildings, and industrial processes becomes an increasingly critical decarbonization strategy. This review summarizes policy approaches to advancing electrification in each sector, and highlights promising developments at the national, state, and local level in the USA. Recent Findings Recent developments include targets and incentives for heavy-duty vehicles, growing programs to promote heat pumps for buildings and electric vehicles in disadvantaged communities, shifts to energy efficiency goals and utility performance incentives to include electrification, and emerging efforts to address the future of the natural gas distribution system. Summary Policy activity to encourage electrification is accelerating in the transportation and buildings sectors at the state, city, and utility level, with more barriers for policy action in the industrial sector. Current policies to promote electrification include incentives, mandates, changes to valuation and rate design, and procurement policies. Emerging policy areas, particularly around equity and federal policy strategies, are discussed.