Electric cars could earn while their owners sleep
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
ChargeScape is one way automakers are trying to smooth the transition to electric vehicles by shoring up the nation's power grid and saving drivers money on charging.
Why it matters: As electric vehicle ownership grows, charging risks putting an extra strain on the grid at certain times of the day. Imagine turning that problem around by using EVs to support the grid during peak demand instead.
The big picture: About 80% of EV charging occurs at home, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates.
- At the same time, the nation's power grids have come under increasing strain due to electricity demand from data centers and the intermittent nature of renewables.
- ChargeScape, a joint venture by BMW, Ford, Honda and Nissan, aims to address that problem while helping customers recoup some of the costs of owning an EV.
How it works: ChargeScape's software allows EVs to communicate with utilities while they're plugged in, managing the flow of electrons to match real-time conditions on the power grid.
- During the late afternoon, for example, when energy demand is high, ChargeScape can temporarily pause or slow EV charging through its smart charging software.
- Smart thermostats do the same thing in your home by shutting off the AC for a minute or two.
Driving the news: In California, ChargeScape just announced a partnership with an energy platform called Leap to create the nation's largest EV virtual power plant to help manage peak summer demand.
- It can draw energy out of a vehicle and send it back into the power grid when needed, using vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
- Some Ford and Nissan vehicles have bidirectional charging today, and others will soon.
Follow the money: In return for their flexibility, EV drivers get rewarded with sign-up bonuses and discounts on their home electric bill.
- Incentives vary by utility, but in Sacramento, for instance, the local utility pays BMW EV owners a $150 incentive for enrolling in BMW's ChargeForward program, and a recurring $20 reward each quarter.
- With bidirectional power-sharing, EV drivers could earn up to $3,000 per year, and some utilities offer up to a $4,000 one-time incentive to help cover the cost of the bidirectional charging equipment, says ChargeScape CEO Joseph Vellone.
Yes, but: Importantly, the EV owner is assured that their vehicle will be fully charged by the time they specify.
- "You think we're managing your charging aggressively," says Alexander Schleicher, who heads up e-mobility and charging strategy for BMW.
- "But that's not the case. We're shifting charging for maybe 30 minutes through the night."
Where it stands: The program is young, but ChargeScape is already working with about a dozen utilities, covering 25 million U.S. households.
- Ford says 3,000 EV customers have signed up so far, and BMW says it has 10,000 enrollees (about 10% of its EV owners).
