We’ve noticed that it can be difficult for policy makers and utility program administrators to get high quality information about electric vehicle (EV) charging behavior. This lack of basic information can make it difficult for utilities to design effective programs and select the best EV load management solutions.

Here are some of the basics we’ve observed, gathered from real-world charging data as part of our Bring Your Own Charger® program analytics, formatted as a simple Q&A:

How many times do EV’s charge per month?

Answer: EVs charge 12 to 13 times per month on average, or about 3 times per week. There is a lot of variability, however. Here is a more detailed distribution:

How long does the average EV charge event last?

Answer: The average event lasts 2.8 hours (168 minutes). Some charge events are much longer, of course. Here is a distribution:

How much energy is consumed each month?

Answer: 200-250 kWh per month is consumed through a home charger. This can be more or less depending on the season, usage of public and/or workplace charging, particular driving behaviors of individuals, and state or regional trends. 

What is the expected EV load for any particular hour?

Answer: 0.25 - 0.3 kWh/h is the average expected load per hour. Not all hours are equally likely to have charging, of course. Expected coincident peak EV load is 1.0 - 1.2 kWh/h, depending on location and hour of peak. The mix of BEV/PHEV can also shift this impact higher or lower.

This assumes that no load management solution is in place. Expected coincident peak for participants in BYOC, for example, is less than 0.1 kWh/h on peak.

What percentage of EVs will be charging on peak?

Answer: 15-20% of vehicles can be expected to charge during any particular afternoon/evening hour. Again, this assumes that no load management solution is in place.

We intend to expand this Q&A in the near future, so be sure to check back in. We’ll make sure the connected content is easy to find!