Transport electrification is expected to be one of the largest contributors to electricity demand growth over the next few decades and uncoordinated vehicle charging may exacerbate peak loads. Yet light-duty vehicles are parked for most of the day and thus plug-in electric vehicles may collectively represent a large flexible demand resource. This study introduces a novel method for assessing the value of flexible demand resources in EPRI’s capacity expansion model (US-REGEN) using coordinated vehicle charging as a case study. We quantify the dispatch and value of coordinated vehicle charging in different regional contexts, across various levels of consumer participation, and for a range of workplace electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) costs. We find that coordinated vehicle charging is valuable in most regions, but especially in regions with large solar generation shares. In these regions, there is a strong incentive to shift vehicle charging to the daytime (and particularly to workplaces) so that it better aligns with solar output. To do this, the utilization of existing workplace EVSE capacity should be maximized. However, investment in new workplace EVSE capacity is only economic if costs decline well below today’s costs, either through technological learning or subsidies. Coordinated vehicle charging leads to cost savings by reducing investments in energy storage.
Authors Chris DeLyser Roney