Strategic Area
Transportation
Status
Completed
Partners
Alectra
Burlington Hydro
Province of Ontario
University of Waterloo
Fund
EVID: Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration
Year
2018
Agreement Value
$ 1,300,000
Project Total
$ 2,844,755
Location
ON
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Lead Proponent
Geotab Inc.
Project Background
The objective of this project was to demonstrate whether load-shaving incentive programs administered by utilities were effective in shifting electrical loads across different locations and times. A SmartCharge Rewards system that targeted EV owners was launched which included dynamic and distributed price signals.
A distributed price signal allows different electric vehicle (EV) owners to have different charge time-windows to avoid or limit demand charges. A dynamic price signal allows for an additional reward for EV owners to charge at a specific time to shift electrical loads at the grid level to avoid grid constraints.
The project demonstrates and compares load shaping options and provides utilities and regulators with real-world performance data and decision-making tools to consider different rate-based programs for EV owners.
Results
The project demonstrated that price signals reduce the need for electric infrastructure upgrades in some cases and EV owners respond favorably to charging incentives.
Benefits to Canada
The project reduces the cost of charging stations, charging networks and charging costs for EV owners since price signals increase the overall efficiency of the EV charging system.
Next Steps
Geotab aims to collaborate with additional utilities interested in implementing peak-shaving programs tailored to electric vehicle owners.