Most utility EV load management programs and technology solutions focus on single-family residential customers. However, charging at commercial facilities and with fleets generally results in higher demand and places more strain on the grid. Given this, managing EV charging in non-residential contexts creates the opportunity to address some of the largest pain points to EV charging infrastructure deployment, including the cost of grid upgrades to support EV charging capacity needs and delays in charger energization timelines. Yet, this type of load management also poses new challenges as non-residential customers are likely to have varying EV charging load management needs, abilities, opportunities, and motivations.

The Dallas-based Oncor Energy Efficiency Department is one of the first utility organizations in the country to gather knowledge and explore strategies to manage the growth in grid demand resulting from increased EV adoption amongst commercial and fleet customers through the Managed EV Charging (MEV) Study. 

During this presentation, Oncor staff will share their real-world experience engaging fleet and commercial customers in the MEV Study including challenges, successes, and lessons learned. Opinion Dynamics will share results from each of the research components of the study including interviews with participants and non-participants, market research, and charging pattern analyses. The presentation will highlight the unique managed charging needs of fleet and commercial customer segments. Session attendees will come away with a strong understanding of the current state of commercial and fleet managed charging as well as real-world best practices and insights they can leverage to inform the design and scaling of effective managed charging offerings for non-residential segments.