Connecticut selects AmpUp to scale Adapt & Earn managed EV charging program

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has selected AmpUp to develop a managed EV charging program in collaboration with the state’s electric utilities. The agency evaluated four pilots in Cycle 1 of the state’s Innovative Energy Solutions (IES) Program, and selected AmpUp’s Adapt & Earn managed charging project for deployment at scale. PURA has invited AmpUp and Connecticut’s electric utilities to jointly propose a statewide program design, creating a pathway to expand managed charging at public and shared EV chargers across the state. Managed charging saves energy and improves grid flexibility by allowing utilities to limit EV charging power at times of peak demand. Utilities have done this with air conditioners and other power-hungry loads for decades, and setting up a managed charging program for a home or business is simple enough. To incorporate managed charging into the public EV charging experience is a bit more complex. AmpUp delivers incentives through its platform without requiring vehicle telematics, advance enrollment or additional hardware. Participants receive wallet credits in the AmpUp app in exchange for allowing brief charging pauses during peak demand periods. The 18-month pilot, conducted with Eversource Energy, enrolled more than 1,000 charging ports at 200 locations representing 8 commercial customer segments. According to an independent evaluation, the project shifted charging to off-peak periods during a regional heat wave, and delivered cost savings of about two thirds compared to the cost of the peak electricity supply that was displaced. “The IES Program was designed to find innovations that deliver real, measurable benefits to Connecticut ratepayers, and AmpUp’s project did exactly that,” said PURA Vice Chairman David Arconti Jr. “By demonstrating that public EV charging can serve as a flexible grid resource at a fraction of the cost of traditional peaking resources, this project charts a path toward a more affordable, reliable grid as EV adoption grows.” “Historically, managed charging has been confined to private garages and individual utility bills,” said David Jackson, COO of AmpUp. “We demonstrated its viability at public charging stations, where drivers have no direct relationship with the utility, proving that drivers will participate if the process is seamless and the compensation is efficient. The IES program proved what’s possible. Now we scale it.” Source: AmpUp