Through US$1.5m in phase one funding from the highly competitive California Energy Commission (CEC) Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals grants, the partners will leverage Kaluza’s proven software to deploy managed charging solutions that make EVs more accessible for customers, especially residents in low-income and disadvantaged communities in California. The project will develop new technologies to incorporate dynamic price signals for both one-way ‘V1G’ and bidirectional ‘V2X’ charging, allowing drivers to easily charge their EV on cheaper, greener energy and be rewarded for providing surplus power back to the grid.
Unlike other smart charging plans on the market, this project will allow drivers to ‘set and forget’ their EV charging. Kaluza’s advanced algorithms, via a smart EV charger, use drivers’ preferences, live grid data and dynamic pricing structures to ensure vehicles are charged in the most sustainable way and optimised to reduce grid pressures during public safety power shutoff events.
The program will comprise 330 vehicles, with a commitment to deploy at least 50% of these assets in low-income communities. A number of these assets will be connected to Wallbox’s Quasar 2 bidirectional charger, enabling users to not only charge their EVs but export power back to their homes or offer emergency back-up power when the grid is down. EVs store around 70 kWh in their battery, sufficient to power an average home for three days, significantly longer than most stationary batteries.
High initial costs and the reliance of low-income individuals on their vehicles for work, pose challenges for these communities in transitioning to EVs. The project partners will collaborate to lower the upfront costs of switching to an EV and showcase the efficiency of managed charging programs in ensuring affordable charging and constant vehicle readiness for customers.
If the project is successful, additional CEC funding of up to US$4m will be made available through a second phase to continue deploying managed charging and bidirectional solutions in California.
Kaluza’s managed charging solution brings over five years of expertise in optimising assets within the residential distributed energy resource (DER) space across global markets, including the UK, US, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Currently managing more than 26,000 connected EVs, with over 330 using V2X, Kaluza is enabling thousands of customers to slash their charging costs and carbon emissions.
This project in California marks a significant milestone for Kaluza and Wallbox as they embark on a global partnership to enable V1G and V2G charging around the world.
