The rise of electric vehicles has spurred a chain reaction of change. Drivers are more mindful of carbon pollution on the road, new automakers are igniting market competition for global vehicle manufacturers, and utilities are faced with supporting an exponential surge in electricity demand.
A $25 incentive for drivers to shift their charging time works well for a pilot program with 100 EVs, but when the program scales to one million EVs, costs become prohibitive. When it comes to actively managed charging, not everyone is going to be comfortable giving full control over charging their new car to their utility. And, we also have to look at the type of people participating in these programs, to begin with: they tend to be self-selected and energy conscious by design.
Instead, progressive utilities are thinking about EV growth in their territory in relation to parallel complexities, like aging infrastructure and the realities of a mixed energy supply from wind, solar and battery storage.To build out a more comprehensive EV program, utilities will need to understand and anticipate EV growth trends within a given territory.
A comprehensive program also requires usage analysis to detect all the EVs charging on the grid, including exactly where they are on the network, how much energy each charging session is consuming, and what time of day charging occurs. By identifying the customers causing hotspots, utilities can individually target them for managed charging, which results in more cost-effective and successful outreach as opposed to mass marketing or waiting for individuals to self-enroll.