Businesses Face Energy Management Challenges with EV Charging
As more and more businesses transition to electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce their carbon footprint and meet sustainability goals, they will face a significant challenge: energy capacity at their facilities. This challenge is especially acute for businesses that rely heavily on transportation, such as logistics and delivery companies, as they will need to support large fleets of EVs with adequate energy capacity. The challenge of energy capacity stems from the fact that EVs require significant amounts of electricity to charge, especially when compared to traditional gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. For example, a typical EV may require anywhere from 20 to 60 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to charge, depending on the size of its battery and its charging speed.
To put this in perspective, if a business has a fleet of 100 EVs and each vehicle requires 40 kWh to charge, the business will need to have access to at least 4,000 kWh of energy capacity each day just to charge its vehicles. This energy capacity must be available in addition to the energy required to power the facility’s other operations, such as lighting, heating, and cooling. If a business does not have enough energy capacity to support its EV fleet, it may experience a range of problems, such as long charging times, vehicle downtime, and increased costs.
The biggest problem is the cost of upgrading the power supply to the building. The cost of upgrading power supply to a building in Australia for a business can vary depending on a variety of factors, including the location of the building, the current electrical infrastructure, the type of business, and the specific requirements of the upgrade. This cost can be hundreds of thousands of dollars and usually have a lengthy lead time to complete works.
Fortunately, there are several solutions that businesses can explore to address energy capacity challenges. One solution is to invest in on-site energy storage systems, such as battery storage or fuel cells, which can help to store excess energy during off-peak hours and release it when demand is high. This can help to reduce the impact of EV charging on the facility’s energy capacity and improve the reliability and resilience of its energy supply.
Another solution is to implement smart charging technologies that can optimse charging schedules based on energy demand and availability. For example, a business could schedule EV charging during off-peak hours when energy demand is low, or it could use load management systems to balance energy demand across different parts of the facility.
EVOS provides a range of solutions that focus on reducing the cost of energy power upgrades and providing intelligence to reduce the cost of energy. The EVOS Energy solutions focus on optimising the buildings capacity and matching spare capacity with the EV fleets needs.
Finally, businesses can also explore opportunities to participate in demand response programs, which allow them to reduce their energy consumption during times of peak demand in exchange for financial incentives. By participating in these programs, businesses can help to alleviate pressure on the grid and reduce their overall energy costs.
As businesses transition to EVs, energy capacity at their facilities will be a significant challenge that must be addressed. By investing in on-site energy storage, implementing smart charging technologies, and participating in demand response programs, businesses can help to mitigate the impact of EV charging on their energy capacity and ensure that they are able to meet their sustainability goals while maintaining reliable and efficient operations.
EVOS’ solutions focus on reducing the cost of energy for electric fleets by managing energy, reducing electrical upgrades and simplifying the EV charging process. EVOS helps manage energy cost by collecting energy data from the EV, charger and the grid. This information is used to make intelligent energy decisions to reduce the cost of power infrastructure and the cost of electricity.