AeroVironment and eMotorWerks partner to offer smart advanced electric vehicle charging solutions
28 March 2017
AeroVironment and eMotorWerks, a provider of intelligent and cloud-connected smart-grid charging solutions, are partnering to deliver smart advanced EV charging solutions. By integrating eMotorWerks’ JuiceNet smart-grid EV charging platform into AeroVironment’s line of consumer and OEM EV charging solutions, both companies aim to provide increased charging capabilities to customers and electric demand load aggregation for utilities.
AeroVironment charging solutions with integrated eMotorWerks’ JuiceNet will enable EV drivers to gain benefits that include smartphone, web and Amazon Alexa voice control over charging, real time and historic energy usage for cars, notifications of charging status, load balancing two or more EVSEs on the same electrical circuit to share the load while avoiding tripping breakers, and setting charging schedules that correspond to lower utility rates, saving customers money on charging.
For electric utilities, the JuiceNet integration, via open APIs and industry standards such as OpenADR, makes it possible to aggregate fleets of charging EVs.
OpenADR (Open Automated Demand Response) is an open and standardized way for electricity providers and system operators to communicate DR signals with each other and with their customers using a common language over any existing IP-based communications network, such as the Internet. As the most comprehensive standard for Automated Demand Response, OpenADR has achieved widespread support throughout the industry.
Such a high level of control over EV charging load allows utilities to modulate energy demand on the grid, and to shift and spread out EV charging loads to times when renewable resources are more abundant or energy rates are lower.
The integration of eMotorWerks’ solutions for smart-grid charging enables EV drivers to control their charging via smartphone applications, and in certain geographies, earn frequent charging rewards through eMotorWerks’ exclusive platform and utility partnerships. Drivers can also optimize the mix of renewable energy used when charging their vehicles.
JuiceNet has the capability to increase the relative percentage of renewable energy used to charge a driver’s EV by setting the “Green Charging” feature. Charge times are automatically optimized to match the periods of highest renewable energy generation on the grid. In certain California geographies customers can earn rewards dollars for using this feature, which will be expanding in the future to locations outside of California.
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