2026 Event Schedule

Most utility EV managed charging programs focus solely on peak load reduction; however, these programs can offer far more than that, delivering a range of benefits to both the grid and the customer through strategic, targeted optimization. From July 2023 through December 2024, Portland General Electric (PGE) executed an EV Demonstration with 200 Tesla vehicles, leveraging their Smart Grid Test Bed (SGTB) to explore three advanced managed charging optimization use cases. The three use cases were to: (1) optimize EV charging to dynamic wholesale power pricing and bulk system capacity, (2) coordinate EV charging at the substation and service transformer levels, and (3) align EV charging with peak solar generation.

Opinion Dynamics led a comprehensive study to quantify the impacts of PGE’s SGTB EV Demonstration. The study was designed to assess PGE’s potential to manage EV charging (i.e., actively controlling the time, rate, and/or duration of electric vehicle charging), optimized around various grid considerations. The study tasks included (1) an impact evaluation to quantify the load shift of the demonstration relative to PGE’s standard managed charging program, (2) analytics to identify optimized charging patterns and acceptance of optimized charging times, (3) an analysis of greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and (4) a process evaluation to understand the customer experience and identify lessons learned and key successes of the demonstration implementation.

With study results finalizing in August 2025, this presentation will share valuable insights from a utility program that systematically tested multiple managed charging use cases. Opinion Dynamics and PGE will discuss results from the demonstration, including technical implementation findings, load shift impacts, and customer experience insights. Key presentation topics will cover lessons learned for designing and implementing managed charging offerings that target multiple grid benefits, analysis of how the different managed charging use cases interact with time of use pricing, and actionable insights for utilities and practitioners to maximize the value of EV load management.