Can Drivers of Plug-in Electric Vehicles Be Prompted to Charge Off-peak?

Many benefits of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) depend on when during the day those vehicles are charged. PEV drivers’ accounts of the effects of demand response management (DRM) on the time of day they charge their PEVs are summarized. Interviews and focus groups were conducted in San Diego County, California in spring and fall 2012. Three DRM strategies were deployed in the study region. First, pricing included both intentional time-of-use (TOU) prices for home charging and non-TOU prices for away-from-home charging. Second, technology to support PEV drivers’ included timers to control when charging begins and ends. Third, social marketing—in this case, past campaigns incorporated into social narratives—promoted private and social benefits of shifting electricity demand off-peak. The aggregate effect was a story widely told by respondents about their goal to charge their PEV only during the “super off-peak” period between midnight and 5am. However, drivers’ accounts differed as to their adherence to this goal because 1) they use prices other than the TOU tariffs to judge whether an electricity price was high or low, and 2) the TOU price signal may or may not prompt them to incorporate a social narrative about the susceptibility of the electrical grid during periods of peak demand into their behavior. PEV drivers with home photovoltaic systems were the least likely to say they charge their PEV in accordance with the TOU schedule in part because of their mistaken belief their home photovoltaic system insulates the grid from their vehicle charging.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC80 Alternative Transportation Fuels and Technologies.
  • Corporate Authors:

    Transportation Research Board

    500 Fifth Street, NW
    Washington, DC  United States  20001
  • Authors:
    • Kurani, Kenneth S
    • TyreeHageman, Jennifer
    • Caperello, Nicolette
  • Conference:
  • Date: 2014

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; References;
  • Pagination: 17p
  • Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01515031
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 14-1293
  • Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Feb 21 2014 3:16PM