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Plugged In: How Americans Charge Their Electric Vehicles Findings from the Largest Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration in the World

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Plugged In: How Americans Charge Their Electric Vehicles Findings from the Largest Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration in the World Plugged In: How Americans Charge Their Electric Vehicles Findings from the largest plug-in electric vehicle infrastructure demonstration in the world Building the Laboratory Widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has the potential to significantly reduce our nation’s transportation petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Barriers to PEV adoption Chevrolet Volts and more for researchers to collect remain, however. One of than 300 Smart ForTwo and analyze data from their the most commonly cited Electric Drive vehicles in home charging units and barriers is the need for places Car2Go car-sharing fleets their PEVs. Data also was for PEV drivers to plug in their were enrolled in the project. collected from publicly vehicles. How many and what accessible charging stations kind of charging stations are This project was not just installed at a wide variety needed? Where and how about installing charging of venues in and between often do PEV drivers charge? infrastructure; the pur- metropolitan areas around pose was to build a living the United States. To answer these questions, laboratory to study its use the U.S. Department of and learn. Data collected from vehicles Energy launched The EV and charging infrastructure Project and the ChargePoint To accomplish this, Idaho over the 3-year project America project. Combined, National Laboratory part- period captured almost 125 these projects form the nered with the Blink Net- million miles of driving and largest PEV infrastructure work, ChargePoint, General 6 million charging events, demonstration in the world. Motors and OnStar, Nissan providing the most com- Between Jan. 1, 2011, and North America, and Car2Go prehensive view of PEV and Dec. 31, 2013, this com- to collect and analyze data charging usage to date. bined project installed from the electric vehicle nearly 17,000 alternating charging stations and vehi- Through partnerships with current (AC) Level 2 charging cles enrolled in the project. states, municipalities, elec- stations for residential and tric utilities, local business commercial use and over 100 Private vehicle owners owners, and numerous other dual-port direct current (DC) participating in the project stakeholders, The EV Project fast chargers in 22 regions had an AC Level 2 (240-volt) and ChargePoint America across the United States. charging unit installed in installed charging stations in More than 8,000 privately their residences. In return, 22 regions across the United owned Nissan Leafs and they gave written consent States, shown in Figure 1. 1 THREE Years 8,300 EVs 22 Regions in the U.S. Figure 1. 125 Million Miles of driving Areas where public charging infrastructure was installed and Primary project partners vehicles were enrolled in The EV Project and Million charging events ChargePoint America. Seattle, 6 Memphis, TN Tacoma, WA Chicago, IL Nashville, TN Portland, Michigan Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, OR Boston, MA New York City, NY Philadelphia, PA San Francisco, Sacramento, CA Washington, DC Los Angeles, CA Knoxville, TN Chattanooga, TN San Diego, CA Atlanta, GA Phoenix, AZ Public AC Level 2 charging Tucson, AZ stations installed Florida Public DC fast chargers installed Austin, Houston, TX San Antonio, TX Chevrolet Volts enrolled Dallas, Ft. Worth, TX Nissan Leafs enrolled 2 What Have We Learned? With gas stations seemingly stations can be installed stations in a wide variety away-from-home charging on every block, it would where gas stations cannot – of locations, including locations, and one or more seem logical to expect at people’s homes, work- homes, workplaces, stores, of these locations was at that a similarly ubiquitous places, and destinations restaurants, gas stations, work for some drivers. network of public charging where their cars spend and many other venues, stations would be needed a long time parked. The to allow researchers to This is not to say that public to refuel, or rather, recharge project installed AC Level observe where PEV drivers charging stations are not PEVs. However, charging 2 and DC fast charging charge. Would they plug in necessary or desirable. Many DC fast chargers (all This study is the largest plug-in electric vehicle of which were accessible to the public) experienced infrastructure demonstration in the world. heavy use to support both in-town and inter-city around town at the nearest driving. Also, a relatively charging station, following small number of public AC the pattern they followed Level 2 public charging with the gas-powered cars sites saw consistently high they grew up with, or would use. This begs the question: they adopt a new refueling what is it about the small paradigm and charge at the number of highly used few places where they park charging sites that led to their cars for the longest their popularity? periods of time? There was some correlation The answer was clear: between public charging despite the installation of location characteristics and extensive public charging utilization. Public Level 2 infrastructure in most of the charging stations installed project areas, the majority in locations where vehicles of charging was done at were typically parked for home and work. About half longer periods of time the project participants often were, in fact, among charged at home almost those most often used. exclusively. Of those These locations included who charged away from shopping malls, airports home, the vast majority and commuter lots, and favored three or fewer downtown parking lots or Photo courtesy of ChargePoint 3 garages with easy access highly utilized charging locations that did not to a variety of venues. Also, sites in almost every region experience much use. not surprisingly, public and at venues that did not charging station utilization seem to be well-suited for In the end, it is apparent was higher in regions with charging. Conversely, there that the exact factors that higher PEV sales. However, were also many charging determine what makes a there were examples of sites in seemingly ideal public charging station popular are predominantly To support PEV driving, charging infrastructure should be community-specific. More research is needed focused at home, workplaces, and in public “hot spots” where to pinpoint these local factors. Nevertheless, to demand for Level 2 or DC fast charging stations is high. support PEV driving, the 4 project demonstrated that host, but when they were drivers of the Chevrolet The next section of this charging infrastructure used, they provided a vital Volt, an extended-range report provides the basis should be focused at home, function to the driver. electric vehicle, tended to for these conclusions by workplaces, and in public charge more frequently summarizing what we have “hot spots” where demand Regardless of motiva- and to more fully deplete learned about… for Level 2 or DC fast tion for installing public their vehicle’s battery than • PEV driving patterns and charging stations is high. charging infrastructure, the drivers of the Nissan Leaf, charging preferences Public and workplace charging infrastructure enabled • Away-from-home charging for range drivers to increase their electric driving range, although extension most drivers did not charge away from home frequently. • Workplace charging • Public charging station Naturally, there are excep- project found that public a battery electric vehicle. use tions to this rule. There charging stations were This allowed the overall • Charging at home may be reasons for an more expensive to install group of Volts studied to organization to install than residential and work- average nearly as many • Charging infrastructure public charging stations place units. Installation electric vehicle (EV) mode installation costs. even if they are not used, costs also varied widely miles traveled as the Leafs such as to attract a certain by region and by venue. in the project. Finally, based The final section of this customer demographic, This further emphasizes on observed charging report provides examples communicate a “green” the benefit of focusing the patterns, the project found of how the findings of this image, or encourage PEV bulk of charging infrastruc- that there are opportunities project have helped organi- adoption. The project did ture at home, work, and to use pricing structures zations promote or prepare not study the effectiveness strategic public charging and other policies to for PEV adoption. of charging infrastructure locations. manage demand for PEV in meeting these goals. charging, both in terms of Additionally, DC fast char- The project shed light on charging station through- gers along travel corridors other facets of PEV use. put at charging hot spots were found to effectively It found that public and and electricity demand on enable long-distance range workplace charging infra- the electric grid. extension for battery elec- structure enabled drivers to tric vehicles. These chargers increase their electric driv- were not typically used ing range, although most frequently so their value is drivers did not charge away hard to quantify from the from home frequently. It perspective of the charger was also discovered that 5 What have we learned about PEV driving patterns and charging preferences? By focusing on data Volt drivers averaged only vehicles like the Leaf and collected in 2012 and 6% fewer EV miles per year range-extended electric 2013 from over 4,000 Leafs than Leaf drivers, despite vehicles like the Volt, which and 1,800 Volts across the having less than half as has an internal combus- United States, the project much battery energy stor- tion engine that allows provided insights into how age capacity. There were the vehicle to continue PEV early adopters drove two reasons for this. First, driving after the battery and charged their vehicles. Volt drivers tended to fully Volt drivers averaged only 6% fewer EV miles per year than Leaf drivers, despite having less than half as much battery 6% energy storage capacity. Volt drivers averaged slightly deplete their batteries prior is depleted.
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