Electric Vehicle Charging News
October 3, 2019
BYOC: Bring Your Own Car and thinking of electric vehicles as flexible assets for the grid
It was first recorded in the 1970s that someone sent out an invitation with the acronym BYOB, meaning Bring Your Own Beer/Booze/Bottle. Over the last 50 years this concept has lingered and today the “Bring Your Own” mentality is applied to almost everything. Mobile phone companies allow you to bring your own phone to their service plans, some companies allow their employees to bring[…]
September 16, 2019
How utilities can bring their customers out of the “ICE” age and in to an EV
This week is National Drive Electric Week, a nationwide celebration with one goal: increase the adoption of electric vehicles. In order to achieve this goal they need to tackle two of the most difficult tasks for any new product or service, education and awareness. Both tasks can be time-consuming, frustrating and expensive, but they are critical for the future of electrifying transportation. This responsibility[…]
September 4, 2019
Considerations when launching an EV load profiling study
Before you can solve a problem you need to fully understand it, and in a previous article I wrote about why utilities should conduct an EV charging load study to profile their territory. Utility providers need to understand how electric vehicles charge and drive in their service area for a variety of reasons including the placement of public charging stations (EVSE), load management, and[…]
August 20, 2019
The Evolution of EV charging load in North America and why data from 5 years ago has expired
Would you make investments in the stock market today based on information from 5 years ago? Of course you wouldn’t, companies rise and fall, new technology disrupts markets, and trends change. This is exactly why utility companies shouldn’t be relying on EV charging data that’s 5 or more years old, it’s now outdated. In 2014 there were 558,953 electric vehicles sold in the US,[…]
July 31, 2019
Why behavioural load shifting needs to be a part of your EV charging load management strategy
The Demand Response landscape is changing, and although shedding or curtailing electricity for high consumption appliances has been well established, the need to manage residential load as well as the way load is managed has changed. While smart thermostats and other smart home devices have increased the energy efficiency of homes and demand programs alike, there is still one device that needs to be[…]
July 24, 2019
Charge the North: Summary Report
On June 14th, 2017 a groundbreaking research project was launched to address the impact of electric vehicles in Canada. The Charge the North project, which was developed with support from Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Innovation Program, set out to better understand how electric vehicles are being charged and driven as well as the related effects on the existing electrical infrastructure. It also tackled a[…]
July 23, 2019
National Grid launches “SmartCharge Rhode Island” to study EV owners charging experience
National Grid Rhode Island recently launched an electric vehicle (EV) pilot initiative to gain greater insight on EV charging patterns across the state. “SmartCharge Rhode Island” is a two-year study to provide National Grid with more information to help prepare for the future adoption of electric vehicles. The program is being offered in partnership with FleetCarma, a division of Geotab Inc. and a connected[…]
June 26, 2019
Finding the value of managing your electric vehicle charging load
Regardless of what type of business you’re in you always need to prepare for change. Electric vehicles are going to be a significant change that utility companies are going to have to deal with and this change has the potential to be both a great asset or a great liability. A new long-range battery electric vehicle (BEV) can consume up to 100 kW to[…]
June 5, 2019
Electric Vehicles are not air conditioners and why their load can’t be viewed the same way
Electric vehicles are not just another appliance on the horizon that will consume more energy. They can generate more demand than a house, their demand moves and their potential adoption rate is still unclear. What makes these challenges even more difficult for someone managing load is that there isn’t one standalone solution that will work for everyone. Every service territory is going to have[…]
December 19, 2018
Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019
Over the last year, electric vehicles (EVs) have made significant progress. Looking ahead, increasing consumer choice with more EV models. Forming strategic partnerships with EV infrastructure experts, and improving cost efficiencies could mean a breakthrough year for the EV industry. But first, let’s cast our eyes on what’s happened over the last year. The Story So Far EV penetration in developed economies is mixed.[…]
