Should the Company Trucks Go Electric? Depends on When You Charge

"The Southern Company didn't need this pilot to sell it on EVs. The firm-which operates Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Mississippi Power, as well as other subsidiaries across six southern and midwestern states-has been using Ford electric vehicles since 2023. Its fleet now includes more than 200 F-150 Lightning trucks and 150 Ford Pro chargers. The company aims to electrify its entire fleet by 2030."

"Now it wanted to see if it could use Ford Pro's charging software to ramp down its vehicles' and chargers' energy consumption during periods of high demand. (Ford Pro is the commercial fleet arm of the US automaker.) Such "managed charging" programs save fleet owners money by scheduling charging for times when utilities are charging less for electricity, and put less stress on the electric grid. Southern Company is particularly aware of that last point: With the AI boom, data centers are flooding into the US southeast."

"'We're trying to figure out how we can save every kilowatt-hour that is out there to be saved, because we'll have a more constrained system in the future,' says Lea Clanton, who directs business development and innovation for Southern Company New Ventures. Ironically, the experiment's most exciting moments came when the two companies worked together to shut down all their chargers. By turning off the chargers for 30 minutes-something that might be suddenly necessary during very hot or cold days, or during an emergency-Southern Company and Ford say they were able to reduce the demand on the grid by 0.5 megawatts, immediately freeing up an amount of electricity equivalent to what's needed to power between 200 and 450 homes for a year."

Southern Company operates Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Mississippi Power plus subsidiaries across six southern and midwestern states. The company has used Ford electric vehicles since 2023 and now includes more than 200 F-150 Lightning trucks and 150 Ford Pro chargers. The firm aims to electrify its entire fleet by 2030. The company piloted Ford Pro's charging software to ramp down vehicles' and chargers' energy consumption during periods of high demand. Managed charging schedules charging for lower-cost times, saves fleet owners money, and reduces stress on the electric grid as data centers increase regional demand. A 30-minute charger shutdown test cut demand by 0.5 megawatts, freeing electricity equivalent to powering 200–450 homes for a year, and the firm requires more information before wider deployment.

Read at WIRED