Dynamic EV charging load management is an essential part of a Smart EV charging software that helps shift the power usage away from peak hours, protects power grids from overloading, and lowers the cost of EV charging for users.
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The difference between dynamic load balancing and load management
Since there is a lot of confusion, let’s first clarify the difference between dynamic load balancing and dynamic load management!
In many articles, you will see the terms load balancing and load management used as the same thing. This is not entirely correct. Dynamic EV charging load management includes two crucial functions for Smart EV Charging:
- The first function is dynamic load balancing. It uses algorithms that consider the present state of the grid and each power consumer. Then it distributes the power accordingly to prevent the power grid from overloading. In praxis, we need this when more vehicles and other consumers (heating, appliances,…) are simultaneously charging and operating.
- The second function is a system that automatically manages the EV charging process timing. It is optimized to use the electricity in off-peak hours in the best way possible.
Only if software includes both functions can we call it “dynamic load management.”
Dynamic load management is a more complex function that includes load balancing but also more. This is important because some EV Charging software only includes load balancing but they market it as “load management”.
We have already made an in-depth article solely on EV charging load balancing. So in this article, we will focus on the second function of dynamic EV charging load management that is the most important for consumers – the optimization of the timing of EV Charging.
What is EV charging load management in praxis?
A simplified example best illustrates what dynamic EV charging load management means in praxis. For electricity, time of use rates (TOU) fluctuate based on peak and off-peak hours. The tariffs for charging at peak and off-peak hours variate from one electricity provider to another. The general rule is that charging is 30-50% more expensive at peak hours.
So electricity price depends on when you use it, which is nothing new. But with everyday electrical appliances, we must manually select when to operate them. With EV charging, it’s different if we use dynamic load management.
Let’s look at an example of load management in praxis:
- You come home and plug your EV into your smart charging station.
- Then you select that you want your car to be fully charged by 7 am the following day.
- The smart charging software with load management software will automatically charge the vehicle during off-peak hours.
- The vehicle will be fully charged at 7 am the next day at a minimal possible cost
With software that controls the timing of charging, the electric vehicle can charge at the lowest possible cost, without the user doing anything manually. Of course, it will also prevent grid overloading as a part of the dynamic load balancing function.
So it lowers the users’ costs and helps with EV Grid balancing in the process, which in the future will be crucial for maintaining the EV charging infrastructure.
Dynamic load management for EV Fleets
As the example shows, dynamic EV charging load management can significantly reduce the cost of charging for users charging their electric cars at home. Now multiply this by ten or even a hundred vehicles and imagine how much a company charging an EV Fleet can save.
A company using a smart EV Fleet management software with dynamic EV charging load management can save thousands of euros (or dollars) just on EV charging! Not to mention that load management also ensures that all the vehicles leave charged on time as set up by the EV Fleet operator.
In connection with EV Fleets, there is also a lot of talk about V2G (Vehicle to Grid) technology that could earn companies additional revenue. The load management function is an essential part of that.
The principle of load management
The electric vehicle and the charging station must share a data connection for dynamic EV charging load management to work. In the next step, the charging station communicates with the cloud-based EV Charging platform operated by the selected Electro mobility service provider (EMSP).
He sets the tariffs and provides the data that determines when to charge and at what cost.
This real-time communication is the basic principle of smart charging with ISO 15118 and OCPP 2.0. protocols that enable it.
Dynamic EV charging load management vs. Smart charging
The terms Smart EV charging and load management are often used as one, but Smart charging is much more than just load management. The dynamic EV charging load management is an essential part of any Smart EV Charging software, but not only that.
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