The current state of the UK’s domestic charging is a plug-and-power affair with little flexibility to both the consumers and the electrical grid. However, the launch of a new trial involving artificial intelligence could provide valuable information to users for smarter and cheaper charging.
A partnership between Moixa, a developer of smart software for EV charging, and Alfen, a provider of charging hardware, will begin a trial using AI-enabled chargers to create personalized charging plans based on household energy consumption patterns, locally-produced solar PV energy and optimization for time of use tariffs.
Alfen’s EV chargers will use Moixa’s GridShare artificial intelligence software and integrate its Moixa Hub to provide EV drivers with greater feedback and smarter charging habits to cut their bills, and also take the strain off the grid as each plan will advise charging at differing times based on optimization, rather than seeing everyone with an EV burden the grid as soon as they return home from work or as they sleep overnight.
The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate the impact of smart charging on EV owners’ energy bills and carbon emissions. The chargers will also be tested for their ability to participate in grid services by ramping up and down charging speeds.
The initial phase of the project will see 7.4kW Alfen Eve Single Pro-line chargers integrated with Moixa’s GridShare AI software rolled out across a limited number of UK homes. GridShare enables real-time aggregation and smart charging of EV batteries by optimizing charging patterns based on factors such as driver behavior, cost of energy and weather forecasts.
“Smart charging will be essential for supporting the acceleration of EVs onto the UK market. Up to a fifth of new cars will be EVs by 2026 and up to 36 million ‘batteries on wheels’ are forecast to be on UK roads by 2040. Smart charging solutions like our collaboration with Alfen will help drive this rapid growth and ensure our power networks don’t become overloaded,” said Simon Daniel, CEO of Moixa.
Participants will each receive the AI-enabled charging technology usually costing £1000s, free of charge. Upon successful completion of the initial trial, Moixa and Alfen will roll the offer out commercially.
“This solution fits perfectly with our overall mission to provide smart energy solutions and enable EV drivers to be even more sustainable by charging at the cleanest and most cost-effective times. This technology could have huge implications if applied to all our customers – it will drive individual cost-savings and ultimately turbo-charge the growth of EVs,” said Alex Earl, Alfen’s UK country manager.
