EPRI launches GridFAST to streamline fleet electrification

The portal connects fleet operators, charging providers, and utilities through a single online platform to speed up reliable and large-scale fleet electrification.

Oct. 10, 2025

4 min read

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched GridFAST, an online portal that simplifies how fleet operators, charging providers, and utilities collaborate on electric vehicle infrastructure projects.

Part of EPRI’s EVs2Scale2030 initiative, GridFAST enables early and efficient communication between customers and the nation’s more than 3,200 utilities, which helps utilities plan and prepare for new EV charging loads that support a more reliable and affordable grid transition.

“If you are a customer planning sites with EV charging loads, the simplest way to begin an early and secure conversation with the right utility and utility contact is to use GridFAST as a central portal for collaboration,” said EPRI director of transportation Britta Gross. “Enter the earliest information you have about a site, update it over time as details become clearer, and ensure your project is on the utility’s radar years in advance of your load needing grid interconnection.”

GridFAST is EPRI’s second major planning tool under the EVs2Scale2030 initiative, following eRoadMAP, which helps identify where and when new loads are likely to appear on the grid. Together, the tools address one of the biggest challenges in transportation electrification, which is the long and complex utility interconnection process.

“For a hundred years, utilities have primarily integrated loads related to buildings, but these loads have long construction timelines, so the grid planning cycle matched those timelines,” said EPRI senior technical executive Watson Collins. “EVs can be procured in a day or in a few months at most, and therefore the utility planning efforts need to start earlier than ever before. GridFAST enables customers with future projects to right-size their charging needs, while considering a utility’s existing grid capacity and any EV-related programs they offer."

GridFAST was built with input from utilities, fleet operators, and charging providers to establish a common framework, with the founding group of partners endorsing GridFAST’s Guiding Principles including Ameren, CenterPoint Energy, Con Edison, Consumers Energy, DHL, Great River Energy, IONNA, National Grid, Omaha Public Power District, Pacific Gas & Electric, PITT OHIO, Portland General Electric, Republic Services, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Southern California Edison.

“Electrifying our fleet has its challenges, so we need tools that will make it easier to interact with the dozen or so utilities that serve our sites, all of which have different processes and programs,” said Taki Darakos, PITT OHIO VP of vehicle maintenance & fleet services. “GridFAST’s standardization makes it easier to obtain information, identify the right contacts, and establish early connections with utilities. You enter some project information, even if you don’t yet know everything, and you get an estimate of the power needed and other information to begin a utility conversation.”

How GridFAST works

GridFAST was designed to address key challenges in today’s grid interconnection process:

Utility matching: Identify the correct utility and contact for any U.S. project location.
Standardized program access: View EV-related programs from multiple utilities in one format.
Early project input: Log preliminary site details years in advance to support proactive grid planning.
Unified intake form: Use a single industry-wide template for pre-service requests.
Integrated load estimates: Access preliminary load hosting capacity data from EPRI’s eRoadMAP.
Aggregate utility planning: Enable utilities to evaluate customer load impacts collectively rather than one at a time.