Hardware Podcasts

197. This Smart Charger = More EVs

The Next Byte Podcast · 22 Oct 2024 · 27m

What this episode covers

Georgia Tech researchers have developed a smart charging algorithm that optimizes EV charging times to reduce grid stress, lower costs, and prioritize renewable energy sources. The system considers grid load, electricity pricing, household usage patterns, and user preferences to schedule 'windowed charging' during off-peak hours. Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss how this technology, which can be licensed to automakers and charger manufacturers, addresses the potential 33% increase in home electricity demand from widespread EV adoption. They highlight the importance of the North American Charging Standard (NACS) in enabling universal smart charging solutions across different vehicle brands.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Georgia Tech, Tesla, Hyundai, Rivian, Ford
Also
North American Charging Standard

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • IoT For All Podcast · 18m

    Preparing the Energy Grid for EVs with IoT | Itron's Nick Tumilowicz | Internet of Things Podcast

    Nick Tumilowicz, Director of Product Management at Itron, explains how IoT software and smart meters can manage the grid's capacity for electric vehicle (EV) charging. He details the risks of transformer overloads and the need for real-time data to optimize charging schedules without waiting for multi-year infrastructure upgrades. The discussion highlights the challenges of EV heterogeneity, proprietary protocols, and the business conflict between utilities and vehicle OEMs over customer ownership.

    Energy & climate techConnected products & IoT
    8 chapters

  • Catalyst · 38m

    EV charging on both sides of the pond

    Nick Woolley, CEO and co-founder of ev.energy, compares EV charging infrastructure and managed charging strategies between Europe and North America. He highlights that while Europe has higher EV adoption, the US benefits from vertically integrated utilities that simplify value extraction for managed charging programs like Smart Charge New York. Woolley argues that the optimal entry point for consumer engagement is at the point of vehicle purchase, leveraging 'carrots' like time-of-use rates or rebates to shift load away from evening peaks. The discussion also covers the potential for Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) technologies, noting that V2H offers immediate resilience benefits while V2G faces regulatory and battery durability hurdles.

    Connected products & IoTPricing, margins & unit economics
    8 chapters

  • The Spark Gap · 57m

    The Spark Gap - Episode 7

    Rodney McGee, a researcher at the University of Delaware, discusses his work on Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, explaining how electric vehicles can serve as distributed energy storage to stabilize the power grid. He details the technical challenges of standardizing communication protocols between cars and charging stations, highlighting the flaws in existing PWM-based standards and proposing single-ended CAN bus as a robust, low-cost alternative. McGee also covers the economic incentives for users, the specific power electronics required for grid-tied inverters, and the regulatory hurdles facing widespread adoption.

    Energy & climate techEmbedded firmware
    6 chapters

  • Catalyst · 44m

    Will charging infrastructure be a bottleneck for electric vehicles?

    Cassie Bowe, partner at Energy Impact Partners, discusses the state of EV charging infrastructure with host Shea Khan. They analyze the three waves of EV adoption, highlighting that the US is lagging in public charger availability and reliability compared to China and Europe. Key topics include the difficulty of building profitable business models due to uncertain utilization, the critical need for high uptime and maintenance (citing Charger Help), and the potential for smart charging (V1G) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies to integrate EVs with the power grid.

    Scaling productionPricing, margins & unit economics
    6 chapters

  • Hardware to Save a Planet · 54m

    Smart Electrical Panels: Avoiding $25K Upgrades to Enable Home Electrification with Arch Rao

    Arch Rao, Founder and CEO of Span, explains how his company’s smart electrical panel enables homeowners to monitor, control, and optimize energy use down to the circuit level, avoiding costly $15,000–$25,000 service upgrades. Drawing on his experience at Tesla Energy, Rao details how Span’s intelligent load management allows homes to adopt EV chargers, solar, and batteries without upgrading the grid. He discusses the evolution from a consumer-led product to a utility-scale infrastructure asset, highlighting partnerships with utilities like PG&E and the importance of interoperable, aesthetically designed hardware. Rao emphasizes the need for deep system-level engineering to navigate supply chain issues and scale production across 50 states.

    Mechanical engineeringPCB design & layout
    13 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Next Byte Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.