The UK’s largest trial of smart charging incentives found the majority of electric vehicle drivers who took part shifted charging to off-peak, reducing demand on the network at the busiest times.
The website Transport and Energy reports the Shift trial, which was led by UK Power Networks in partnership with Kaluza, Octopus Energy and ev.energy involved more than 1,000 domestic customers.
The project demonstrated that smart charging needs to be accessible, simple and trusted if it is to generate widespread participation. It also reinforced that to be successful, smart charging products must be designed around real-world customer behaviour and preferences.
Under the trial, customers opted to enrol in different smart charging products that incentivised smart charging at off-peak times. A customer survey revealed that more than 80% of customers on Octopus Go Faster, the tariff designed for the Shift trial, used the reduced tariff rates to run other devices in their homes.
(Picture – Yay Images)
