United Illuminating Co. has partnered with Silicon Valley-based Bidgely to implement the first electric vehicle-managed charging program in Connecticut.
The electric company, a subsidiary of Avangrid, will use Bidgely’s platform to detect which customers are charging electric vehicles based on usage. It will use that data to encourage them to enroll in behavioral and managed-charging programs meant to reduce costs and shift the load on the grid to off-peak hours.
UI serves about 341,000 customers in the greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas.
Rick Rosa, Avangrid’s electric vehicle manager, said that as more customers switch to electric vehicles, the company needs to “develop strategies that manage the impacts of wide-scale charging on the grid.”
The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s goal is to develop statewide electric vehicle charging infrastructure capable of supporting 125,000 to 150,000 electric vehicles by 2025. The state’s managed charging program launched on Jan. 1 and is set to begin providing services in June.
UI’s program will allow electric vehicle owners to sign up for email notifications, monthly summary reports and access to web-based activity. They can opt-in to managed charging, which allows UI to remotely manage vehicle charging.
For more information or to enroll, visit UI’s electric vehicle managed charging program website.
