New initiative focuses on needs, habits of member-consumer electric vehicle charging while at home
EnergyLines August 2020
The energy industry is evolving and Hoosier Energy is evolving along with it. A new initiative was introduced by the Hoosier Energy Emerging Energy Resources (EER) team to help members focus on the changing needs and habits of member-consumers.
Electric vehicles (EV) are a significant part of this change. That led to the EER team identifying a strong need for charging stations in member territories – for public and residential use. Through their analysis, they established the Cooperative Charge pilot program.
This team began by reviewing four EV charging solutions on 10 criteria: differentiation; go-to-market; partners; investments, geographic reach; sales; portfolio; marketing; innovation; and staying power. The goal of the analysis was to provide a thorough assessment of these companies’ strengths and weaknesses in the current global EV charging hardware market.
“We chose Enel X for our charging stations after working with four companies to determine a partner,” said Josh Cisney, Emerging Energy Resources Tech Advisor. The project was created by the Emerging Technology Committee, headed by Bob Richhart, Chief Technology Officer and Doug Childs, CEO of UDWI REMC.
Enel X has an established smart EV charging system called JuiceBox. With more than 80,000 charging stations sold, Enel X has established technology and a solid reputation for integrating with utility programs on residential and commercial programs.
Hoosier Energy purchased 18 JuiceBox Pro commercial level 2 EV chargers. With the high charging speed of 40A / 9.6 kW, these commercial chargers allow for a quicker charge and have two charging ports on each station, allowing for multiple simultaneous charging. By making these chargers available to the community, the cooperatives are providing a valuable service and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
These commercial chargers are designed to help promote electric vehicle use. Co-ops have been asked to choose the best location within their territory for the commercial chargers, whether that’s the co-op headquarters or another business in the community.
Hoosier Energy has also purchased 100 JuiceBox residential level 2 chargers. Each co-op will receive five chargers, and the remaining chargers will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Pending demand for the chargers, Hoosier Energy has the option to purchase an additional 100 residential chargers.
These smart chargers will provide valuable information to co-ops about how they are being used such as patterns of use and the amount of energy consumed. The information gathered will help form the energy plan for the future.
“The program is an important piece of beneficial electrification and providing member-consumers with the technological services they need,” said Senior Manager of Emerging Energy Resources Ryan Henderson.