0
0
CALIFORNIA, 18 October 2022: As a global leader of electric vehicle (EV) charging software, ev.energy has teamed up with Smartenit, a provider of holistic IoT solutions, to offer a smart, low-cost EV charging cable.
Residents of apartment buildings or multi-unit dwellings (MUDs) without dedicated charging stations will be able to charge their vehicles at home at low costs, grid-optimized, using this charging cable.
Multi-unit dwellings
Only 22% of car owners in the United States report having access to EV charging at home, despite the fact that EV adoption has soared since the extension of the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Older apartment, condo, and other MUD residents frequently lack access to dedicated home chargers and must rely on a public charging infrastructure that is frequently faulty and/or damaged. By 2030, it will be necessary to deploy over one million chargers to support MUD population and the growing demand for EVs.
The fact that these residents are more likely to have older or used EVs without embedded telematics connectivity, which would enable them to connect their vehicle to utility programmes that offer bill credits or other financial incentives for charging during grid-optimal times, further compounds this challenge.
CONDO
In terms of EV charging, the ev.energy-Smartenit solution addresses both of these significant equality issues. The device does not need to be installed in a garage or parking space because it is a cable that can be purchased with either an L1 (120V) or L2 (240V) power draw. Instead, it can be transported by the driver and plugged into any available power outlet, such as one in their condo or in the parking garage of their building.
The device’s internal Wi-Fi modem connects it to the ev.energy platform, which works with many national power utilities to provide EV drivers more pay back for taking part in smart-charging programmes and provides EV drivers with automatic off-peak charging schedules to save charging costs.
For instance, United Illuminating Company of Connecticut clients used the ev.energy platform this past summer to earn up to USD 200 in cash back for charging during grid-optimal times, earning USD 50 per month.
California Community Choice Aggregators
This new EV charging product is the result of the combined efforts of Smartenit, an Irvine-based, minority-owned company, and ev.energy, a Palo Alto-based Certified B Corporation®.
To bring the product to market, both businesses have teamed up with a number of California Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs), which are non-profit sustainable energy providers overseen by the local community.
These CCAs, MCE and Silicon Valley Clean Energy, intend to provide qualifying consumers with full or partial reimbursements for the EV charging cable. The sale price of the cable is USD 350 for the Level 1 (120V) version and USD 500 for the Level 2 (240V) version.
Comments
Joseph Vellone, Head of North America for ev.energy said, “As EV adoption takes off, energy companies need to come together to ensure that every single EV driver – no matter where they live or what model they drive – still has access to affordable and convenient charging at home.”
“This partnership is just one way we’re working with energy utilities and infrastructure providers to open the door for everyone to participate in America’s clean energy transition,” Vellone added.
“Enabling EV charging for those who want to drive electric, but lack home charging, is another way we make life smarter and easier,” said Alfredo Choperena, President and CEO of Smartenit.
