Grid Capacity Tool Helps Fleet Managers Plan EV Charging Infrastructure

Establishing adequate charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is among the challenges utility fleet managers and their staff must successfully navigate to achieve their organization’s vehicle and equipment electrification goals.

The first step is determining whether the organization has the capacity to support its electrification plans; if sufficient capacity does not exist, decisions must be made regarding necessary upgrades and the impact of those upgrades on the fleet’s EV adoption timeline.

Such an undertaking can feel like a major roadblock, something subject matter experts at the Electric Power Research Institute understand and are working to address. EVs2Scale2030 (https://msites.epri.com/evs2scale2030) – a three-year initiative launched by the nonprofit energy research and development organization – aligns critical stakeholders to support rapid deployment of millions of EVs while also minimizing grid impacts. Stakeholders include utilities, fleet operators, vehicle manufacturers and charging providers.

“EVs2Scale2030 was designed by industry for industry,” according to Jamie Dunckley, electric transportation program manager at EPRI. “Through rigorous interviews, we identified 15 pain points in the interconnection process (i.e., bringing power to a site). This project is creating a viable path to helping thousands of customers and thousands of utilities across the nation achieve large-scale electrification by 2030.”

eRoadMAP Explained
At the heart of EVs2Scale2030 is eRoadMAP (https://eroadmap.epri.com), a data visualization and communication tool that shows users where and when additional grid demands are likely to occur. It’s intended to help utilities and utility regulators better plan for needed infrastructure upgrades. Fleet managers can use the tool when collaborating with their utilities to establish EV charging infrastructure.

To aid in grid readiness planning, eRoadMAP specifically illustrates:

• Where and when EV charging loads are expected to impact the U.S. electric grid, including the charging load amounts.
• The anticipated year-over-year grid loads to meet 2030 electrification goals and regulations across all 50 states.
• Potential long-term load growth if the U.S. achieves 100% electrification of on-road transportation.

eRoadMAP also provides a growing number of utility load-hosting capacity maps made available by some utilities.

“Sites with available hosting capacity are locations on the grid where excess power is currently available,” Dunckley said. “While existing capacity doesn’t guarantee the availability of power at a specific place, it is indicative of locations that may have more power available. If the power supply is adequate to meet the need, no grid upgrades may be needed to support vehicle charging. In areas without available hosting capacity, a utility upgrade may be needed. The timeline and cost can vary depending on the size of the upgrade required; large projects can take multiple years.”

Other helpful data layers available via eRoadMAP include existing EV charging station locations and service territory boundaries for the nation’s utilities. Users can also learn how charging management reduces the need for power at peak times.

Other Benefits for Fleet
eRoadMAP doesn’t just help utilities develop data-based grid upgrade strategies. Fleet managers can also use the tool to evaluate potential EV deployment locations based on current or expected grid capacity constraints. For example, eRoadMAP can be used to:

• Find utility providers. Service territory maps of the nation’s electric utilities save fleet managers from spending time tracking down which utility serves a particular site. “Before eRoadMAP was available, one fleet operator told us they spent six months trying to establish the list of utilities that serves each of their 400 depot locations,” Dunckley said.
• See available capacity. As of press time, eRoadMAP is the only website that features access to all available utility load-hosting capacity maps in one place; maps from 14 major utilities are accessible today. Fleet operators can use these maps to identify where power is currently available, helping them to prioritize and schedule their electrification timelines.
• Pinpoint high-demand areas. “Fleets can also use the map to see where their sites may be co-located with other trucking operations,” Dunckley said.

EPRI’s continued collaborations with stakeholders across the utility, fleet and vehicle manufacturing sectors to collect and feed data into eRoadMAP help the nonprofit organization provide the most up-to-date information on immediate and future charging needs.

“EPRI’s eRoadMAP tool has been instrumental in our EV charging infrastructure projects,” said C.J. Berg, senior manager for EV operations technology at Republic Services, in an EPRI press release. “It allows us to conduct thorough feasibility studies and gain critical insights in the process. This ensures we make informed decisions before advancing into detailed engineering, ultimately saving time and resources while supporting our fleet electrification goals.”

Avoid Infrastructure Roadblocks
According to Dunckley, fleets can do two things to lower their risk of encountering EV charging infrastructure roadblocks: plan early and share their plans. (Note: Fleets concerned about privacy should be aware that their data will be anonymized and aggregated before being shared via the eRoadMAP tool.)

“Fleets can plan charging sites and procure vehicles much faster than utilities can add extra capacity to the grid,” Dunckley said. “Sharing fleet plans with utilities years in advance is the single most important thing a company can do to help ensure a speedier interconnection process. We encourage fleet operators to share their electrification plans years ahead of the desired deployment date so that utilities have adequate time to plan for any required upgrades to the electric system.”

About the Author: Shelley Mika is the owner of Mika Ink, an Omaha, Nebraska-based branding and marketing communications agency. She has been writing about the fleet industry since 2006.