Rhythmos.io, a provider of data analytics for utilities and EV fleet operators, has won a $170,000 grant from the State of Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification for a pilot program focused on grid-edge optimized EV charging.
The pilot will take place in the Grand Rapids service territory of Consumers Energy, a Michigan gas and electric utility company.
The program integrates Rhythmos.io’s grid monitoring and analytics technology with EV-managed charging provider Optiwatt’s charging management platform. The aim is to demonstrate a sustainable, cost-effective model to support wider EV adoption and to help energy providers manage the effects of EV charging on distribution systems by identifying Level 2 EV charging locations and monitoring their impact, Rhythmos.io said.
The pilot will also recruit EV drivers to participate in an optimized-charging program designed to reduce energy infrastructure costs and customer charging costs.
The project will compare detected versus known EV charging locations, quantify shifted load patterns and track customer energy cost savings. The results will be published in a use case study documenting the technical and economic benefits.
Rhythmos.io estimates that with optimized charging, such as that offered by its Cadency EdgeAI platform, a public utility serving 250,000 customers could save more than $7.3 million by 2035 in avoided and deferred transformer upgrades.
Rhythmos.io CEO Ken Munson says, “We’re creating a model that enables utilities to balance electrification loads without investing millions in upgrades and expensive and complicated utility control platforms.”
Source: Rhythmos.io