Smart charging for a sustainable future with ev.energy

ev.energy is a smart, cloud-based platform that automatically optimises EV charging for a greener, cheaper and simpler charge - all while supporting electricity network operators to balance supply and demand and ease congestion on their grids. 

Jeremy Yapp is the Policy and Regulation Director for ev.energy. He helps the company understand and influence policy and regulation in the UK and EU relating to the electrification of road transport, smart energy management and grid flexibility. 

“It’s a wonderfully varied role. On any day I can be reading, talking, and learning about the design and rules of flexibility and electricity markets, the communications architecture of smart homes, how charging software, firmware, and hardware integrate, the politics of targets for carbon emissions, EV sales and the quantity and placement of public charging infrastructure, or the needs of electricity networks,” says Yapp. “This last one is especially complex and interesting: system operators need data, they need value, and they need to keep their networks balanced while meeting ever-fluctuating demand.” 

As more and more renewable generation comes online, the old ways of doing things with coal and gas generation are disappearing. A lot of people worry that more EVs will lead to increased demands on the grid, and of course it will; but, Yapp says, EVs can be a benefit, not a burden, to the system if they are managed smartly to make better use of renewable energy. 

“This saves money for the operators and leads to lower energy costs, lower carbon emissions, and less pollution,” he says.

Here, he tells us more.

Tell us about your app and how does it make charging an EV simpler, cheaper and greener? Does it use an algorithm to support EV drivers?

For drivers making the switch to an EV, charging is often the biggest pain point, so we’ve designed our app to provide a simpler charging experience. It has a user-friendly interface to ensure that EV drivers can easily add their vehicle, charger, and tariff details and schedule charging sessions. 

The app puts money back in drivers' pockets, too. It incorporates a sophisticated algorithm that analyses energy pricing in real-time and, based on your tariff, charges during the periods when electricity costs are at their lowest. This helps users save significantly compared to just plugging in and charging right away. 

You’re right to suggest that our app enables greener charging practices as well. We do this by optimising schedules based on renewable energy availability - both locally via home solar panels and with renewables flowing onto the grid. In this way, the app minimises the carbon impact of  EV charging. 

In summary, ev.energy’s app goes beyond a mere interface for initiating charging. It is a comprehensive tool to optimise the entire charging process, making it seamless and cost-effective for EV drivers. 
 

How does ev.energy help to balance demand on the energy grid at peak times? 

This one is all about the intelligent and dynamic management of EV charging. 

The app uses real-time data feeds and smart charging algorithms that identify optimal charging windows based on grid conditions. By encouraging users to charge during times of lower demand, ev.energy helps prevent grid congestion during peak periods, when electricity costs are higher and the grid is under stress. This actually means we can avoid some expensive and time-consuming build-out of electricity infrastructure (cables, wires, pylons, and substations). This means lower standing charges, which means lower bills for everyone - not only EV drivers.

ev.energy also supports grid operators to leverage more clean energy by shifting charging to times when there’s an abundance of renewables. This is the cheapest and best way to reduce the carbon impact of the power system and deliver energy security for the country.  
 

What do the next 12 months hold for you and the company? 

Across 2024, ev.energy will continue to pursue its mission of serving our drivers and integrating EVs with the energy system.

Our efforts will actively support the expansion of EVs and renewable energy sources, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

We now have more than 150,000 drivers on our platform, integrated into more than 30 energy grids. This progress will grow as we collaborate with more automakers, fleet companies, and charge point manufacturers.

From a policy perspective, I am excited about the continued growth of the EV market. UK highlights will include some more market reforms to make smart charging even more valuable, ideas for a new licence for large load controllers, and CyberCOPP, a Government-Industry partnership to improve the digital security of our infrastructure. This is also an important year for agreeing on how all the elements of the smart home communicate with each other. It’s so important we get this right. In Europe, some Network Code reforms will be fundamental to how we deliver smart grids that support more renewables onto the grid in an efficient, affordable way. 

Most of all, 2024 will be a big year for bidirectional charging, a new technology that will allow drivers to charge their EV batteries when power is cheap and then export it, either within their property or back to the grid, when demand is high. This is an absolute game-changer for a smart, better-connected EV charging system.

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