Smart charging is related to significant savings. It could save drivers of electric vehicles an average of GBP 110 per year, and cut carbon footprint by 20%, says a report by a research team at the Swansea University.
The use of smart charging for electric vehicles helps to distribute the demand for electricity to prevent overloading of the National Grid. This is a key issue with the estimated rise in the number of electric vehicles to be 11 million on Britain’s roads by 2030.
In fact, individuals can enjoy cheaper electricity by charging electric vehicles usually in the early hours. But smart charging can help further. For example, smart charging could mean charging when windy weather means excess wind power is being generated, or smart charging could mean having charging automatically coordinated with neighbors.
The report is based on a research by the Flexibly Responsive Energy Delivery (FRED) project team. The research involved experts from Evergreen Smart Power along with experts from SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Swansea University in collaboration with GenGame, myeenergi, and Energy Systems Catapult.
The research team recruited 250 commoners who had electric vehicles and were using myenergi’s software and zappi charging points to help them charge more efficiently.
Through the course of the project, Evergreen Smart Power managed electric vehicle charging of participants of FRED using its smart charging software platform. The platform is based on artificial intelligence to shift charging times to obtain maximize efficiency and minimize cost. The project received support of participants by providing feedback in the way smart charging changed the driving experience.
Based on the feedback, smart charging cuts cost of a number of charges that add up to the overall price of energy for consumers, found researchers.
