SEPA releases report on managed EV charging trends

The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) recently released a report that examines major developments and trends in managed electric vehicle (EV) charging.

Managing EV charging is a tool that utilities, fleet owners, network operators, and retailers can use to avoid distribution upgrade bottlenecks and unnecessary stresses to the power grid. Over the past five years, managed charging programs have grown in number, program size, sophistication, and diversity in approach. They are now widely accepted as a fundamental component of planning for electric vehicles.

“Most US drivers have not yet adopted a default charging behavior – because they don’t yet own an EV,” Garrett Fitzgerald, senior director, electrification at SEPA, said. “This presents a massive opportunity for utilities to influence customer charging habits in a way that maximizes benefit to the power sector without compromising driver convenience. The shift from passive to active managed charging, alongside the pairing of networked chargers with vehicle telematics-based programs, is one step closer to a vehicle-to-grid future.”

In the report, SEPA identified 71 active utility managed charging programs in 2021 compared to 26 programs in 2019.

“When implemented correctly, managed EV charging has the potential to benefit utilities, their customers, and the planet,” Joseph Vellone, head of North America at ev.energy, said. “This report highlights some impressive results from innovative EV charging programs across the US, including reliable demand-side management through >80% customer retention, customer energy-bill savings of $200/year, and utilization of 70% lower-carbon electricity to charge.”

The report also found that utilities are becoming more comfortable with managed charging technologies and are focused on how to increase customer participation.

“Managed charging is gaining momentum across the country, and utilities are increasingly seeking actionable information and guidance,” Stacy Noblet, senior director of transportation electrification and climate center senior fellow at ICF, said. “This report is a valuable resource for utilities of all sizes and structures, no matter the scale of their existing transportation electrification programs, as they consider how to design and implement successful managed charging programs.”

SEPA said providers should plan for programs to evolve to meet system needs and structure programs that benefit both the customer and the grid. Further, they should implement managed charging programs to allow participation via OEM telematics and networked chargers and include customer education in the marketing and recruitment phases of the project.

“Managed charging is the most exciting opportunity for utilities to meet their decarbonization, customer satisfaction, and network management goals,” Kevin Schwain, senior director of EV strategy at EnergyHub, said.

The report also includes product and service offerings from 71 managed charging programs, 64 EVSE vendors, and 43 Network Service Providers. The report was produced in partnership with OpenADR, EnergyHub, ev.energy, ChargePoint, and ICF.