Can free at-home EV charging boost grid stability? A new partnership may find out

Ford Motor Company and TXU Energy, a Texas electricity provider and subsidiary of Vistra, have teamed up to create a new retail energy offering for Ford electric SUV and truck customers in Texas – offering EV customers credit back on their bills for charging during off-peak hours.

The TXU Energy Free EV Miles programme offers participating Ford EV customers the opportunity to charge their vehicle entirely at home at “essentially no cost” during off-peak hours since approximately 80% of charging takes place at home, TXU said.

Participating Ford EV customers will get credit on their TXU Energy bill for all electricity used to charge their vehicle during the free off-peak charging hours, between 7pm and 1pm the next day, all year long.

Through the programme, Ford aims to promote EV adoption and incentivise consumers to charge when demand on the grid is lower.

The offer is designed for flexibility, TXU said, giving participating customers up to 18 hours a day to charge at no cost. By scheduling through the Preferred Charge Times feature in the FordPass app or in-vehicle screen, Ford electric SUV and truck drivers can ensure charging only occurs within TXU Energy’s off-peak hours. If customers need to charge outside of the off-peak hours, they will pay a fixed rate – the same rate as the rest of their home. With this foundation, Ford and TXU Energy will aim to test customer interest in additional future retail electricity offerings that further incentivize customers to support grid stability in Texas. The state made the third-most electric vehicle sales in 2023.

“Encouraging our electric vehicle customers to charge at off-peak hours through programmes like TXU Energy’s Free EV Miles helps to save them money while supporting a more sustainable, resilient electrical grid,” said Bill Crider, senior director of global charging and energy services at Ford Motor Company.

“Ford electric vehicles generally have a lower operating and maintenance cost compared to gas-powered vehicles, and at-home charging and future vehicle-to-grid services offer additional financial perks never before possible, which Ford is committed to leading for our customers.”

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The programme enables Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and Escape PHEV customers to receive bill credits, regardless of what hardware they use to charge their vehicle at home. When Ford drivers enroll in the Free EV Miles energy plan, they will also receive additional perks from both Ford and TXU Energy, including a $100 welcome bonus from Ford and a $250 bonus from TXU Energy for staying enrolled for a year. Once enrolled and verified, customers will receive automatic rebates for at-home charging costs during the off-peak charging hours.

“This partnership with Ford fits squarely into TXU Energy’s broader strategy of educating customers on the benefits of owning an EV, removing barriers to making the switch, and increasing grid resiliency,” said Sam Sen, vice president of energy transition solutions for TXU Energy. “We are proud to support Ford’s Texas EV customers with flexible, free charging hours and the significant cost savings that come with it.”

EVs have great potential to serve as a distributed, flexible asset, but there’s one main problem: they are owned by ordinary consumers who have no obligation to let their utility choose when they can charge, or operate them as a virtual power plant.

Additionally, many utilities lack the tools at the grid edge required to handle EV growth, according to a report released earlier this year.

The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) released the results of a research project that studied the relationship between EV driving and charging behaviours to understand how those behaviours impact the electric grid. The study was conducted with Utilidata, an AI-powered technology company.

UMTRI installed Utilidata’s distributed AI platform, Karman, via electric meter adapters at multiple EV charging stations on the University of Michigan campus to measure grid performance.

Vehicle monitoring devices were installed on the EVs of drivers who charge their vehicles at one or more of the selected charging stations to uncover driving and charging behavior.

Data was collected for 16 weeks, ultimately determining that while there is “considerable uncertainty” around charging behaviour and significant impacts on power quality, there is an opportunity for EVs to add value to the grid. 

Originally published by Sean Wolfe on Power Grid International. Edited with permission.