“EV adoption rates are rising nationally, but we’re seeing considerable differences in readiness levels among utilities,” says Doug Black, Ph.D., head of the grid integration group at LBNL. “We wanted to establish a baseline to understand the current state of smart charge management and then see what factors might be slowing the implementation of managed charging programs.”

According to Black, EV charge management can be as simple as a driver restricting their charging to certain hours—such as during the lowest-priced period of a time of use rate published by a utility company, which varies the cost of electricity for different periods of the day.

It can also be accomplished dynamically through smart charge management. Smart charge management is essentially a conversation between a vehicle, charging equipment and the grid. During the conversation, the charging needs of the EV—how fast it charges, based on how much power is available and at what time that power can be made available—are negotiated to keep the vehicle battery from demanding too much power from the grid at once.

“By adjusting the level of electricity provided to an EV’s battery at a given time, smart charge management technologies can prioritize EV charging during times of the day when there is less demand on the power grid while still ensuring drivers get the electricity they need,” claims Black. “By avoiding surge pricing during high-demand times, they can minimize charging costs.

“And, by lessening peak demand on the grid, these technologies can even help utilities reduce or defer the costly and time-consuming grid upgrades they might otherwise need to accommodate accelerating EV adoption,” explains Black.

Smart charge management can solve critical barriers to widespread EV adoption, such as lowering the cost of charging and reducing demand on the grid. However, Black and his colleagues discovered several areas where advancements in technologies and standard practices are needed to enable more widespread adoption. For instance, site-level smart charge management is underutilized; utilities lack the economic data needed to make the business case for smart charge management investments; and fragmented vehicle-grid integration standards are preventing widespread smart charge management deployments.

“There are no uniformly adopted standards for bidirectional communication protocols, which allow for electricity to flow between EVs, charging infrastructure, utilities and the grid,” warns Black. “Moreover, there is no requirement to comply with a standard and no certification process for manufacturers that might want to use one.

“This makes it nearly impossible for vehicle manufacturers to determine how to build smart charge management into their vehicles,” says Black. “As a result, there is a risk that companies may develop standalone solutions that do not work for every EV.”