No compromise: comfort, control, and efficiency for EV Smart Charging

As we continue to innovate in the realm of smart charging, understanding how different user settings impact the efficiency and effectiveness of our systems is paramount. When delegating control over the charging process to Jedlix services, users find it key to stay in control and to forget about settings. This is why we have a direct charging level and boost modes activated. These settings ensure users don’t have to worry about the smart charging hindering their mobility needs.  

However, the question is how these settings impact flexibility and steering potential. It would be a shame if this led to a huge loss in flexibility impact! Recently, our data team embarked on a comprehensive study to evaluate the influence of these user settings. The results were insightful, shedding light on the fact that these settings don’t greatly impact the flexibility potential impact.

‍

What exactly are we talking about?

We consider two types of volumes when we speak about force-charged (or non-flexible volumes):  

1. Volumes charged from the beginning of the session until the direct state of charge (if such was configured by the user). This is typically a range between 0 % and 50 % SoC.  

‍

‍

2. Volumes charged from the moment of activation of our boost charging setting till the moment it was deactivated by the user (or until the end of the session if the setting hasn’t been turned off). This mode can be activated by the user at any moment in time.  

‍

‍

Interestingly, our deep dive revealed that these two user settings had relatively insignificant impact on the steered volume of smart charging. Such volumes consistently amount to ~ 6- 7 % of the total volumes charged.  

So why is this amount relatively low? Intuitively, you might think the direct charging level could lead to a lot of volumes charged straight away. If this happens during peak hours the flexibility impact could be substantial. One of the main reasons why this impact is relatively low and might be even lower in the future is linked to the fact that cars do not arrive at home with an empty battery. As you can see in the distribution of charging sessions, most are between 0 – 40 kWh with an average of about 20 kWh. So, most times, the energy charged during a session is much smaller than half the full battery capacity of today's top-selling electric vehicles (EVs).

‍

‍

What about the seasonality?

In other words, do user settings change with the season? Not really. However, what does change is the energy consumed by EVs. This can be 20 – 30 % higher in the winter months due to higher utilization of cars in general, so we do see the volume impact to be slightly higher in the winter months.

‍

Implications for Smart Charging

These findings have significant implications for Jedlix and our constantly evolving domain. It shows that giving comfort and control to users does not significantly reduce flexibility potential. Moreover, it highlights the importance of having access to state of charge (SoC) data. Our ability to access this data for most EVs on the road is something our business partners and users value a lot. The value is expected to be much higher when not having access to real-time SoC data. When designing smart charging in other areas like public charging networks that are used overnight, these settings and access to data are crucial.

‍

As we move forward, we will leverage these insights to enhance our platform further, ensuring that our users receive the best possible charging experience. Another major leap we expect to implement is making the target SoC level more dynamic. Stay tuned for more updates and insights from our data team as we strive to lead the way in smart charging technology!

‍