Four Promising Ways to Pair EVs, Renewable Energy

As the need for clean, renewable energy becomes more urgent, electric vehicles (“EVs”) have emerged as among the cleanest forms of transportation. In the United States, transportation accounts for 30% of all greenhouse emissions, and tackling the issue may ultimately reduce up to a third of the total carbon Americans emit into the atmosphere. Unlike conventional vehicles, EVs are powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels, and they produce no emissions at the tailpipe.

However, all these benefits are rendered null if EVs are primarily charged with fossil-fuel-based generators. A Chinese study found that electric vehicles can contribute two to five times more smog than gasoline-powered vehicles due to the country’s reliance on a coal-fired grid. So how do we ensure that the electricity used to power EVs is generated using clean energy?

Network charging allows EV drivers to access a network of charging stations to charge their vehicles with renewable energy. Using a charging network that sources its electricity from clean energy will ensure charging an EV does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, the Plug-in EVerywhere Network developed by Austin Energy allows customers to charge their EVs using 100% wind-generated electricity for just $4.17 a month. EVgo, a national fast-charging network company, announced plans earlier this year to power its EV charging network with 100% solar or wind energy.

Managed charging utilizes charging programs, utilities, customers and even automakers to control and align the timing of electric vehicle charging with the availability of clean energy. In April 2018, a pilot program run by Pacific Gas & Electric and BMW called Charge Forward had customers delay charging their vehicles for up to an hour each day to align with available renewable energy for lower exchange rates.

On-site renewable energy generation can also be paired with EV charging to reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-generated electricity. This is usually done by co-locating electric vehicles with on-site energy systems or batteries, either with or without managed charging. For instance, starting in 2012, San Diego Gas & Electric partnered with the city of San Diego and other partners to implement a pilot project at the San Diego Zoo where 10 solar photovoltaic (PV) canopies were installed. Customers were given access to five charging stations that, when not in use, stored solar energy in battery systems.

Discount charging during times of peak renewable energy availability. By offering discounts to customers who are willing to charge their vehicles when clean energy is being generated, we can reduce the industry’s dependence on fossil-fuel-generated electricity. Back in January 2019, Southern California Edison introduced a time-based rate that encouraged customers to charge on weekdays and during off-peak hours on weekends, coinciding with the abundance of solar and wind energy, at discounted rates of $0.13 per kilowatt-hour.

One interesting company in the EV sector is ev Transportation Services Inc. The company designs, develops and manufactures lightweight all-electric vehicles, and it also provides fleet-management solutions.

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