Itron Inc. has launched its Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Optimizer solution, which enables EV charging assets to work in harmony with the grid. Available globally, the solution is charger- and vehicle-agnostic, cloud-based and integrates EV charging management and grid management systems to provide comprehensive EV charging and energy management for utilities and EV charging operators.
Itron’s initial focus for the solution will be on the fleet segment to address potential locational capacity constraints and the need for charging operators to optimize their energy consumption. Early deployments for Itron’s EV charging solutions include two domestic and international utilities.
EV Charging Optimizer is a part of Itron’s Optimizer portfolio, which also includes DER Optimizer, Grid Edge Optimizer and associated professional services. The EV Charging Optimizer is a real-time, digital twin-based platform that was built from the ground up and provides EV charging operators and energy suppliers with a technology-driven solution to simplify planning, build and operations of EV charging and grid infrastructure.
The integrated solution helps reduce costs for project stakeholders by optimizing EV-grid integration for utilities, managing charging schedules and the energy bill for EV charging operators and ensuring reliability and resiliency for both. With Itron’s EV Charging Optimizer, EV fleet owners can plan, operate and manage their EV fleets at the highest performance level and lowest costs while also integrating charging assets with other distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar and storage. At the same time, the solution can manage constraints at the grid edge for the utility through grid analytics and control and enables chargers to be grid-integrated assets that facilitate outcomes like vehicle to grid (V2G) and other grid resiliency functions.
Itron enables utility EV program managers and transportation electrification managers to set up, deploy, monitor and manage end-to-end EV charging programs, including customer consulting and advisory, enrollment, deployment and ongoing management. Utility charging-as-a-service (CaaS) programs or make-ready programs are both supported. As a hardware-, network- and vehicle-agnostic software solution, EV Charging Optimizer enables utility and customer choice and minimizes complexity.
“In order for the electrification of transportation to accelerate, the barriers for EV charging deployment need to be removed,” says Don Reeves, senior vice president of Outcomes at Itron. “As the new vehicle fuel, energy and power must be managed within an ecosystem of DERs to fully realize the economic benefits of electrification. Grid integration needs to be intelligently planned to ensure stakeholder needs are met for all parties. With EV Charging Optimizer, utilities and EV charging operators have access to comprehensive EV charging, energy management and turnkey solutions to help maintain grid reliability, resiliency and efficiency. This will allow utilities to optimize their grid investments in EV charging enablement and end customers to better manage their energy fuel costs.”
“With global EV adoption expected to increase 25 percent annually to 2030, capacity constraints from concentrated EV charging depots are inevitable,” states Scott Shepard, principal research analyst at Guidehouse Insights. “Utilities and charging operators need planning, managed charging and optimization tools to improve grid integration and minimize energy costs. Software platforms focused on minimizing total cost of ownership provide piece of mind for stakeholders.”
As part of the end-to-end solution offering, Itron is collaborating with technology partners, integrating its EV smart charging management, DER management, grid analytics and optimization SaaS platform with Amazon Web Services, Geotab, The Mobility House, Microgrid Labs, Meteomatics AG and Heliox.