For some, Texas summers are something dreams are made of; for others, the heat is more of a nightmare. It is no secret that most days during the heat of a Texas summer, temperatures are over 100°, putting a major strain on the power grid. Electricity has been a hot topic for other reasons outside of the excessive heat. Most recently, Austin Energy rolled out a new incentive program for customers who use EV chargers. The voluntary power partner program, launched in June of this year, provides an account credit for those who enroll. Austin Energy launched the program to stay ahead of the growing number of Electric Vehicles in the city and their added draw on the power supply. Volunteers can expect reduced or paused energy flow to charging stations during peak energy times throughout the hottest months.What does that mean for parking? Austin Energy Plug-In EVerywhereSM supports over 1,600 Level 2 chargers in the greater Austin area, all of which will be automatically enrolled in the program. The incentive program could affect those who pay to park and plan to pay to charge. Charging could take longer and could potentially be incomplete by the time the driver is ready to unplug. If the energy flow is quelled, one side effect could be an extended length of stay, which leads to a higher parking fee. Most charging stations in Austin have a relatively low demand level. In its inaugural year, the tangible impact of this potentially involuntary extended charging time at Austin facilities remains unknown.
Most interestingly, there is even talk of deploying bidirectional charging on a mass scale to help the burden on the electrical grid. Bidirectional charging most simply means charging in both directions. So, if an electric vehicle is plugged into a charger during a surge of demand on the grid, the vehicle would discharge power back to the grid from the availability in its battery. This concept is still in the early development phase and depends upon two key factors: the EV’s ability to charge bidirectionally and the driver’s willingness to volunteer. In 2023, California passed Senate Bill 233, which requires all new EVs sold in the state to be capable of bidirectional charging by 2030.
There is no denying that EVs are currently adding to the strain on the power supply during peak demand. The question remains: Will the demand for EVs continue to trend upwards across the nation, and if so, what does that mean for parking facilities? Should we prepare for a dream or a nightmare?Link to Article: https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-energy-will-give-ev-owners-money-to-adjust-summer-charging/
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