Both customers and electric utilities across the US are set to gain more options and control over electric vehicle charging through the collaboration of AeroVironment and cloud-connected smart-grid charging company eMotorWerks. 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.
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.
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. 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.
“AeroVironment is a recognized industry pioneer and leader in EV charging solutions,” said Valery Miftakhov, founder and CEO of eMotorWerks. “Drivers and car manufacturers will get the best of both worlds through integrating our cloud solutions with AeroVironment’s broad range of safe, proven, EV charging solutions. Together we will offer the best products to our customers to power the continued adoption of EVs.”
“Our goal is to help our customers succeed by providing them with valuable capabilities, and our new relationship with eMotorWerks helps us achieve that goal,” said Ken Karklin, vice president and general manager, Efficient Energy Systems for AeroVironment. “Like AeroVironment, eMotorWerks is an innovative company, and working together we look forward to helping EV drivers and utilities proceed with certainty.”
