2026 Event Schedule

As California accelerates its transition to electric transportation, utilities are grappling with how to scale programs that serve grid reliability, affordability, and decarbonization objectives while meeting customer needs. EVs pose the greatest challenges and the most promising opportunities at the distribution level - the difference depends on when and how they are charged. In a recent study of grid upgrade costs required to serve EV load, the California Public Advocates Office found that distribution-focused managed charging could save over $9B across California’s IOUs by 2035 (DGEM 2.0 Preliminary Results Report). 

This panel brings together leaders from Southern California Edison (SCE) and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) for an unfiltered look at how two of the nation’s largest utilities, contending with some of the highest EV adoption rates and grid constraints, are building the next generation of EV managed charging programs. Through a moderated, interactive format, panelists will explore the strategic, technical, and operational realities of deploying utility-scale EV initiatives. Attendees will hear how both utilities have evolved their approaches - from business case development to customer engagement - and how they're navigating the convergence of EV infrastructure with broader grid modernization efforts.

A dedicated portion of the session will highlight quantifiable results from managed charging programs, including grid impacts, customer participation, and lessons from scaling efforts. The conversation will balance strategic vision with on-the-ground experience, surfacing what’s worked, where challenges remain, and how both utilities are shaping the road ahead.

PG&E and SCE have several active and proposed EV managed charging programs:

• PG&E’s EV Charge Manager is currently the largest distribution-focused EV managed charging program in the country. The program is available to EV drivers in four high-EV-density counties in the San Francisco Bay Area - Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. In a matter of months, WeaveGrid and PG&E have scaled the program to register more than 7,000 residential customers using targeted, multi-channel, and co-branded marketing with EVSE partners to reach likely-eligible drivers. WeaveGrid’s patented and award-winning Grid-Aware Distribution-Integrated Smart Charging Orchestration (DISCO) optimizes participating vehicles’ load to align with real transformer-level baseload data to minimize EV contribution to both bulk system and asset-level peaks, reducing strain and deferring upgrade costs. Initial results show that Grid-Aware DISCO is already preventing overloads on service transformers. Drivers receive a $75 sign-on incentive as well as ongoing savings from automated charge scheduling at lowest cost times, but always have the option to override the schedule and “charge now.” 
• SCE and WeaveGrid are partnering on Charge Smart - SoCal to optimize EV charging for distribution constraints and test V2X strategies in disadvantaged communities in SCE territory. Funded in part by the CEC, Charge Smart - SoCal is deploying DISCO to optimize load among regionally clustered EVs to reduce strain on distribution assets. The program targets the Gateway Cities region, a dense area in the southeast of the County, north of Long Beach. All drivers earn a $50 sign-up reward and $50/year of participation, in addition to ongoing savings through automatic smart charging at the most cost-effective times, though drivers always have the option to “charge now.” To promote equitable EV adoption and distribution of benefits, Charge Smart - SoCal offers an additional $50 sign-up incentive, and SCE offers up to $8,000+ in EV related rebates, for income-qualified drivers.
• SCE recently proposed the ORCHARD (Orchestrated Charging and Advanced Resiliency for Distribution) program to address localized distribution constraints through orchestrated V1G and V2X charging, with a target of 25,000 EV drivers over four years. Currently under CPUC review, the $23 million initiative would be funded entirely by LCFS credits, meaning no costs for ratepayers. The proposed program prioritizes circuits with capacity limitations and high EV penetration, offering utility-controlled charge management (V1G) for ~16,000 participants and bidirectional charging (V2X) enablement for ~9,000 others. V1G participants would receive a $75 sign-up incentive and declining annual rewards; V2X participants would be eligible for an $800 rebate to offset installation costs, with enhanced support of up to $12,800 for low-income customers. If approved, ORCHARD will integrate with SCE’s enterprise DERMS platform to enable granular load management at the transformer and circuit levels, with the goal of reducing non-coincident charging peaks and deferring costly infrastructure upgrades—setting a scalable model for operational EV load management.