EV planning tool upgraded with load capacity data

The US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has announced an expansion of its eRoadMAP EV planning tool to provide load hosting capacity from ten US states.

Launched last year, EPRI’s eRoadMAP is described by EPRI as a first-of-its-kind resource to help industry stakeholders effectively plan for the energy and infrastructure needed to serve light-, medium- and heavy-duty EVs and explore how quickly EVs are expected in different regions.

The tool can help fleet operators, logistics providers, charging service providers and other stakeholders prioritise electrification projects based on where power capacity is available as timelines may be shorter to launch charging stations at these locations.

The expansion will see the tool also provide load hosting capacity, or power capacity, for 10 large utilities in five states, with plans to expand nationwide.

The added information will help fleet operators, logistics providers and charging site developers identify available capacity that is more likely to accommodate EV charging sites.

Specifically, the power capacity information includes data from 10 utilities in California and the northeast region, including:

• California: Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
• Massachusetts: National Grid
• New York: National Grid, Con Edison, Orange & Rockland Electric Company, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, New York State Electric & Gas, and Rochester Gas and Electric
• New Jersey: Orange & Rockland Electric Company
• Rhode Island: Rhode Island Energy
• EPRI aims to further expand the data nationwide.

In cases where hosting capacity maps are not available, EPRI will secure substation-level location, capacity and distribution voltage information from the utility.

Simultaneously, EPRI is integrating utility service territory maps representing all 3,200 utilities in the US into its eRoadMAP for improved identification and reference.

Have you read:
Siemens launches ‘co-pilot’ for DSO-level grid management
Norgesnett and Volue partner on ‘grid aware’ EV charging programme

EPRI’s tool upgrade comes courtesy of its EVs2Scale2030, a three-year long initiative announced last year to manage anticipated grid stress caused by immense EV charging.

The programme sees the company collaborating with the likes of Amazon to mobilise utilities, fleet operators, the automotive industry and charging providers, while coordinating with federal agencies and labs to support the rapid deployment of millions of EVs and minimise grid impacts.

Commenting in a release was EPRI director of transportation Britta Gross: “To make meaningful strides in electrifying transportation over the next decade – a relatively short period of time – we need to simplify the complex interface between thousands of electric utilities and tens of thousands of fleet operators and charging providers.

“As part of our mission to serve the public interest, EPRI is collaborating with stakeholders across the utility, fleet, and vehicle manufacturing industries to feed critical data into eRoadMAP – an increasingly powerful tool that arms electrification leaders with the information needed to plan and prioritise charging projects and grid upgrades.”

Added Chris Atkins, director of Worldwide Operations Sustainability at Amazon: “This tool increases transparency and enables Amazon and others in the industry to assess where power is readily available in order to bring more electric vehicles to the road quickly.

“Publication of the capacity maps from more utilities and participation from more fleets across the country will advance our collective electrification efforts.”

Said Britt Reichborn-Kjennerud, director of E-Mobility & Demonstrations at Con Edison: “Con Edison is thinking more boldly about ways to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in our service territory, while simultaneously strengthening the sustainability of our energy grid to prepare for the increase in demand.

“We are proud to participate in the expansion of EPRI’s eRoadMAP, which will help our customers identify available grid capacity that can accommodate new charging sites and support our goal of transitioning more New Yorkers away from fossil fuels and toward a cleaner transportation future.”