Charge control

Charge control is a technology that lets an electric utility control, in real time, the charging of a gridable (plug-in) vehicle, such as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Through charge control, the utility is able to postpone charging of the vehicle during time of peak demand. Additionally, this technology may enable the owner and the power company to track the vehicle's usage and performance, while on the road and while charging. Charge control is a technology that lets an electric utility control, in real time, the charging of a gridable (plug-in) vehicle, such as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Through charge control, the utility is able to postpone charging of the vehicle during time of peak demand. Additionally, this technology may enable the owner and the power company to track the vehicle's usage and performance, while on the road and while charging. In both V2G and charge control, the electric utility can control the power flow between a plug-in vehicle and the power grid. However, in charge control power only flows from the grid to the vehicle, while in V2G power can flow in both directions. Disabling charging in charge control vehicles helps balance the loading on the power grid by 'valley filling' (charging at night when demand is low) and 'peak shaving' (not charging when demand is high). It can enable utilities new ways to provide regulation services (keeping voltage and frequency stable).