A Toronto pilot program between The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) and San Francisco-based Optiwatt is studying the impacts of electric vehicle (EV) charging on the grid, which could help unlock steadier, more affordable charging for EV drivers.

Participants download Optiwatt’s app, which connects to the user’s EV. Optiwatt’s service will automatically adjust the EV charging schedule to off-peak hours when electricity rates are cheaper. The anonymous data is then sent to TAF as information to furnish its research on EV management.

“This pilot is around helping the Greater Toronto Area better understand and start to think about policy for EV load management,” Optiwatt founder Casey Donahue told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.

The pilot, which is running from April to December, is making a second push for participants.

Having already piloted its service in other parts of Canada, Optiwatt also intends to continue its research in other Canadian cities.

Optiwatt’s Toronto pilot

Offering a home energy management smartphone app that connects to EVs and domestic smart devices, Optiwatt helps manage electricity costs, Donahue said.

Headquartered in San Francisco, it operates in the U.S. and Canada. It has over 90,000 active users of its app with approximately 80,000 connected EVs. Canadian users number in the thousands, with over 1,000 in Toronto.

The engagement between the two started when Optiwatt was awarded a grant by TAF as it sought vendors to help the Toronto environmental non-profit better understand EV loads. As Optiwatt has coverage in the region, it was deemed a good fit by TAF, Donahue said.

Electric and plug-in hybrid models from Ford, BMW, General Motors, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Range Rover, Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen are eligible for the study. Some brands were excluded because they are not responsive to Optiwatt’s app.

The pilot will help answer questions around EV charging patterns and what the load curve and strain on the electric grid would look like from now to 2035 with rising EV adoption. Policies, programs and infrastructure can be shaped around the findings, the Optiwatt founder explained.

TAF will pass on the data to a number of utilities in the Toronto region, Donahue said.

A key metric to keep track of for the pilot is customer satisfaction. As Optiwatt controls the vehicle charging, Donahue stressed it is important to not be invasive and ensure customers will understand the situation and be comfortable.

Such a program can help EV drivers and utilities save money, Donahue said. Armed with the data, utilities can procure cheaper blocks of energy when EV charging is most frequent, passing on the savings to customers. Optiwatt users can save up to 70 per cent on EV charging costs if charging uses time-of-use or ultra-low-cost overnight plans, the company says in a release.

Prior to Toronto, Optiwatt ran a similar trial with FortisAlberta.

Reducing risks for grids

Another benefit of Optiwatt is helping to reduce the risk of overloading transformers and supporting peak load reduction, according to Donahue.

The expansion of EVs are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but such transportation has been linked to the possibility of electric grids being overloaded, and squeezing electricity supply.

Research from the Canadian Climate Institute reported the country’s electricity system will need to double or triple its capacity by 2050 to reach net-zero, and far more battery storage must be plugged into the grid to meet the demands of electrification. By managing electricity demand, Optiwatt can help take on the problem, according to Donahue.

Steve McCauley, a senior director at Pollution Probe, told Sustainable Biz Canada he is optimistic utilities can prepare for escalating EV adoption.

As for Optiwatt, the company will have Canadian pilots to announce in upcoming months, and will be investing in the Canadian market, Donahue said.