Electrical vehicle (EV) charging logistics, such as when and where EVs can plug in, is the leading barrier to EV adoption, despite increased investment in public EV charging infrastructure.
Due to its low cost and convenience, 80% of EV charging happens at home, a trend expected to continue. However most residential, commercial and multi-unit buildings’ electrical infrastructure cannot support single or multiple EV charging stations.
Typically, multi-unit buildings are only able to charge up to 25% of parking spaces. Residential homes, especially those with 100-Amp service, lack the electrical capacity to install an EV charger.
The rising demand for EVs will significantly increase the pressure on residential electrical infrastructure, which is already strained by additional electrical loads.
Upgrading electrical service is costly, with individual home upgrades costing thousands of dollars and multi-unit buildings, such as townhomes and condos, facing costs in the hundreds of thousands.
To ensure that EVs can realistically play their critical role in emissions reduction and net zero plans, equitable EV charging solutions are needed.
Vancouver’s Variablegrid thinks it has the solution: an Electric Vehicle Energy Management System (EVEMS) that enables the electrification of 100% of EV charging spaces using the existing electrical infrastructure of commercial buildings, single-family homes, and townhomes—at a fraction of the cost.
Variablegrid’s load-sensing and smart grid technology uses AI to monitor real-time power constraints at the building, transformer and utility level, to optimize power to EVs with dynamic load balancing.
This system shifts power away from EVs during peak electricity demand to where it’s needed most. Once peak demand subsides, the available electricity is redirected to EV chargers.
“Most homes don’t use all their available power for the majority of the day or year. It’s only during peak demand times, like the hottest and coldest days, that full power capacity is used,” says Variablegrid CEO Greg Merrick.
“This leaves a significant amount of idle capacity that can be designated for EV charging. Instead of planning for peak demand, we focus on smart power usage.”
Adopting innovative solutions for home EV charging is not only feasible but also crucial for combating climate change. By transitioning to electric vehicles and optimizing our power usage, we can ensure a cleaner, more sustainable future.
“The VarianPRO EVEMS has allowed us to install 80 EV charging outlets for owners without the need for a costly upgrade to our electrical service,” says Peter K. of North Vancouver’s Cates Landing Strata.
“To date, 26 owners have installed EV chargers, and we have the comfort of knowing that, as the need arises, Variablegrid’s solution will allow every owner who wants a charger to install one.”
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