INSIGHTS
Opportunities to Manage EV Charging “Away from Home”
We are working with Xcel Colorado to visualize and analyze load curves from their workplace, multifamily, and public charging programs, as well as gather data about opportunities to help site hosts manage EV charging load at their sites.
We are also working with Oncor Electric Delivery to support the deployment of their Managed EV Study designed to help fleet and commercial customers test out in a variety of EV load management studies at their sites. We will support Oncor and study participants through each step of the EV load management process, including assisting participants with the selection of tailored load management strategies to deploy during the study period, collecting and analyzing EV charging data from participants’ sites to understand the performance of load management strategies and gathering feedback from customers about which strategies work best.
KEY INSIGHTS
- Moving beyond the residential single-family context will require utilities to serve a heterogeneous population of customers with different load management needs and opportunities depending on several factors, such as their sector, operation schedules, the vehicle classes that charge at their sites (e.g., light-duty vs. MDHD), and the end customers they serve.
- Xcel Energy EVSI participants are interested in load management but have concerns about how it will impact business operations and end users.
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- Fleet participants expressed concerns about being able to maintain fleet operations, and multifamily participants did not want to adjust or restrict charging due to concerns about inconveniencing end users.
WHY IT MATTERS
To date, most utility EV load management programs have focused on single-family residential customers. This segment is a natural starting point as residential customers tend to have direct control over their charging behaviors and generally have some flexibility in their charging needs while at home. Managing the ever-increasing loads from public, multifamily, workplace, and commercial charging infrastructure projects will be more challenging, but critical as these projects generally include chargers that charge at a higher demand and put more strain on the distribution grid than residential charging infrastructure. Results from these projects will offer important insight into the path forward for managing EV charging away from home from the customer and grid perspectives.
DIVE DEEPER
Learn more about the Xcel Energy TEP Commercial Customer Research findings and explore the data insights in the full report.
Interested in what we can do for you?
Please feel free to contact our resident expert!
Hilary Polis
Director of Transportation Electrification
hpolis@opiniondynamics.com
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