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Understanding how EV drivers make decisions about charging I American Public Power ... Page 6 of 11 <br /> "Our rate design works well if you are going to completely charge your vehicle. Our <br /> initial observation of behavior is that it doesn't work well if you are going to just charge <br /> for 15 minutes to grab milk," Adams said. <br /> The ERMU study found that the source of concern centered on unique EV driver <br /> behavior. Drivers liked to "top p u " their vehicle while out running errands. The practice <br /> let them put in a few kilowatt-hours of charge to get them through the day. They then <br /> did the bulk of their charging at home at night. The fixed connection fee made the cost <br /> for just a few kWh very high and noncompetitive with third-party stations that have <br /> nominal fees. <br /> The fact that most EV charging occurs at home could provide a challenge to utilities <br /> that seek to use connection fees to recover the costs of installing public charging units. <br /> In general, time-of-use rates seem to hold appeal, at least to early adopters. EPRI <br /> tracked 100 EVs over 18 months, gathering data every minute. Researchers found that <br /> even Tesla buyers — those driving vehicles that can cost in the six figures — "shifted <br /> their behavior to save a couple of dollars," Dunckley said. <br /> "When there is a time-of-use rate effectively communicated, EV drivers — at least in <br /> two studies I've been working on — adhered to them across the board," she said. <br /> EV charging is opening new opportunity for utility supply and demand, but it requires <br /> careful thinking about the logistics of getting customers to plug in at the right time. <br /> Understanding the inspirations and anxieties behind EV charging behavior not only <br /> helps utilities make effective installation investments, but also creates happier EV <br /> owners, which makes more of them, opening up a new business path for electric <br /> utilities. <br /> Incentivizing electric <br /> Charging electric vehicles offers benefits to utilities whether as a new source of <br /> electricity sales or a load management tool. So, how does a utility encourage more EVs <br /> in its service territory? That's the topic of an ongoing Electric Power Research Institute <br /> study with eight utilities. <br /> The study, which finishes up in December 2018, looks at a range of triggers, from HOV <br /> 0 <br /> https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/undersstanding-how-ev-drivers-make-decisi... 7/3 0/2018 <br />