Electric vehicle managed charging software provider ev.energy has been selected for the California Energy Commission (CEC) competitive “Responsive, Easy Charging Products With Dynamic Signals” (REDWDS) grant to deploy up to $41 million of public funding to make affordable EV charging available for all Californians.
The funds will be matched by select utilities and Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) to enroll EV drivers into managed charging programs, creating a dynamic EV virtual power plant (VPP). As part of the ChargeWise program, the matched funding will also support scaled-managed charging for 275,000 EV drivers in California with a special focus on helping utility and CCA partners serve disadvantaged communities, which will collectively receive over $50 million in incentives over the next 4 years.
“The CEC and the state of California have a long history of making California a global leader in decarbonization,” says Melanie Biesecker, customer programs manager at renewable electricity provider MCE for transportation electrification. “MCE’s partnership with ev.energy will provide EV drivers with greater access to grid-friendly charging solutions that save them money and support the clean energy transition. Most importantly, this grant will further our shared mission to improve access to simple, affordable and green EV charging.”
As millions of EVs come onto the grid in the next few years, California faces the challenge of maintaining a green and reliable power system. Through ChargeWise, utilities and CCAs can expand their managed charging services to Californians, saving on energy bills and deferred grid upgrades and accelerating the clean power transition. Ultimately, the impact of this award will be that EV drivers will get access to affordable charging and the grid will become more reliable and able to integrate renewable energy sources.
In 2024, ev.energy will launch Phase 1 of the ChargeWise program with MCE, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Peninsula Clean Energy and Southern California Edison, signing up thousands of EV drivers. In Phase 2, which will begin in late 2024, ev.energy will scale to 275,000 drivers — equivalent to 5% of California’s estimated fleet — by working with current and new California utility and CCA partners. Fifty percent of participants will be in disadvantaged communities, as defined by the CEC.
“California’s ChargeWise program will create a global blueprint for how public and private partnerships can augment these much-needed solutions and address the inequity of affordable access to EV charging,” says Nick Woolley, ev.energy CEO and founder. “As we move toward an electrified world, it’s critical for underserved communities to have joint participation in the clean energy transition.”
With a global presence spanning North America, Europe and Australia, ev.energy has dispatched over eight million charging sessions and manages a virtual power plant of 120,000-plus drivers. The company’s wireless, hardware-agnostic technology has already been tapped by more than 30 utilities worldwide.