| Independently Powered Energy News

Electric vehicle chargers need a standard connector and common communication protocols to advance installations, according to a new report on how to get eight million electric vehicles on California roads to meet state climate goals. The California Energy Commission’s AB 2127 Report , approved unanimously June 9, also urges a lot more funding for public and private but shared chargers in strategic locations, including in struggling polluted communities, to make charging customer friendly.

“The assessment shows we must now scale up our installation efforts, building out our charging network in order for electric vehicle adoption to be as seamless as possible,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) AB 2127 author.

California is expected to be about 55,000 chargers short of the 250,000 target it has set for 2025 to slash drivers' range anxiety. Of the quarter of a million ports, 10,000 are to be fast chargers, and the state is expected to have a gap of 430.

One issue is slow local permitting and utility interconnections. By 2030, at least 1.2 million chargers are necessary to support up to 8 million full battery and hybrid cars. Another 157,000 chargers capable of serving 180,000 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including at highly polluted ports, are necessary for successful electrification.

“California isn’t backing down from this challenge because the health of our communities and planet is at stake,” CEC Commissioner Patty Monahan said.

The Commission report on the state of charger installations, required by legislation passed in 2018, delves into strategies for both increasing home charging and ensuring it optimally shapes load. It seeks to do that by having most EVs charge when there are high levels of sun and wind energy resources to lower costs and protect the grid.

“While current results indicate that nonresidential charging demand will generally align with daytime solar generation, more than 60 percent of total charging energy will still be demanded when sunshine is not abundantly available,” the report concludes. The millions of light duty vehicles projected to be in California by 2030 could increase load by 25%, requiring 5.5 GW at midnight and 4.6 GW mid-morning, for example.

Grid friendly charging

So called “smart charging” aims to have EVs fueled with excess renewables to make the grid more resilient, reduce climate emissions, and make energy cheaper, Kiel Pratt, CEC staff member, told the five commissioners at the Wednesday meeting. “Grid friendly charging is needed on a grand scale.”

The report addresses the need for common connectors, noting three different plugs are used for fast chargers today. There is even less standardization among medium- and heavy-duty vehicle ports.

“Encouraging greater standardization of charging connectors promotes greater driver convenience and helps ensure that chargers installed today are not stranded in the future,” according to the report.

The study, however, declines to adopt common protocols to enable networked systems to communicate. Much to the disappointment of charger developers and advocates, the report does not call for the incorporation of the interoperability standard that does that, Standard 15118.

Patrick Kelly, Power Flex Systems head of operations, said adopting the standard with cybersecurity protection would vastly increase installations in the state with the most EVs in the country. “We are setting standards for everyone to follow,” he noted. He said the standard was needed even more because car manufacturers and utilities “are unwilling partners.”

“Balkanization” of charging infrastructure is unacceptable, Ethan Lipman, a clean energy advocate, added.

There are 15 different apps available that are supposed to help EV drivers locate suitable chargers. For many, you have to input which type of plug you are looking for. “Standardization would make it so much easier,” Kelly noted.

Commissioner Monahan agreed, saying the more we standardize, the better the experience will be and the more it will drive down prices. But she added there is considerable controversy over interoperability standard 15118 because it may be more costly and may not support a wide array of end uses.

Chris King, Siemens eMobility vice president, said that unlike in California, there is convergence in Europe around the voluntary standard, making it much easier for customers to charge.

Others, including Jacqueline Piero, Nuuve vice president of policy, urged commission staff to incorporate vehicle-to-grid technologies into the report’s modelling. V2G with communication software allows vehicles to help the grid when needed, while keeping the car partly charged.

Vehicle-to-grid technology will allow vehicles to “go into high gear,” providing offsite power for everything from electric tools to campers appliances, the CEC’s Pratt said. He added the Ford F-150 pickup truck can provide eight times more power than a typical battery pack, supplying a home for several days.

CEC funding vastly oversubscribed

The report also points out the need for far more funding. The California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project, which provides CEC incentives for the purchase and installation of public chargers across California, is swamped with millions of dollars in rebate requests, but only about one-third can be funded. The project included $193 million in public money and another $36 in matching funds. A second grant solicitation for up to $500 million was issued by the CEC in late April.

In addition, CEC Chair David Hochschild said the agency’s very large expected budget increase , totaling $2.4 billion, will be a big help. Nearly $1 billion is to go towards advancing transportation electrification.

As of the end of March, there were 73,443 zero emission vehicles in the state. More than 60% are battery-electric vehicles, 38% plug-in hybrids, and 1% hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles. Sales of combustion vehicles will be prohibited as of 2035 in the state.