The Mobility House and Itron to Demonstrate Pioneering Fleet Electrification Technology for Utilities

The Mobility House and Itron to Demonstrate Pioneering Fleet Electrification Technology for Utilities

The project will implement smart charging and flexible service connection technology that will accelerate deployment of charging infrastructure and EV fleets

BELMONT, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
The Mobility House, a global leader in smart charging and energy management solutions, and Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water, are beginning a groundbreaking project in New York State to implement technology to accelerate fleet electrification. This initiative, supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), will use cutting-edge flexible service connections to address distribution system capacity to prevent delays in fleet charging.

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The flexible service connection demonstration will integrate Itron’s IntelliFLEX DERMS solution, which is part of its Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio, with automated load management (ALM) from The Mobility House’s ChargePilot® charge management system (CMS), enabling fleets to operate efficiently while reducing, or even eliminating, the need for costly and time-intensive infrastructure upgrades and maximize the utilization of existing distribution infrastructure. This will be the first implementation of these integrated technologies to address distribution level constraints as a barrier to fleet electrification.

A Game-Changer for Fleet Electrification

The difficulty of implementing electrical distribution system upgrades is one of the most challenging barriers to fleet electrification.

As a solution to directly address this challenge, The Mobility House will integrate its powerful ChargePilot® charge management system (CMS) with Itron’s industry-leading Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio with Distributed Intelligence (DI) to deliver a technical solution that enables fleet operators to optimize their charging sites despite site capacity limitations. Combining automated load management (ALM) from ChargePilot with real-time distribution grid data from the DI-enabled meter ensures that fleets can operate within the constraints of their local energy infrastructure without compromising on the operational needs of the vehicles.

“This technology combination is absolutely critical to the timely transition to zero emission vehicles,” says Greg Hintler, CEO of The Mobility House North America. “If we can solve the interconnection backlog, the biggest obstacle to fleet electrification will be removed.”

Flexible service connection provides the ability for a utility to approve service to energize electric vehicle charging infrastructure that might otherwise be prohibited by distribution capacity constraints. This is possible because the utility can ensure that the fleet does not exceed a predetermined charging capacity limit at certain times, based on forecasted or real-time distribution system capacity. Under the implementation architecture tested in this project, to reliably reduce charging when required, the utility will provide physical equipment limitations and grid topology to the Itron IntelliFLEX solution, which then provides a signal to ChargePilot to dynamically adjust charging as required. Leveraging real time grid-awareness and an intelligent DI-enabled meter allows for local control without additional hardware or gateways. A flexible connection allows the utility to avoid significantly more costly upgrades and increases the potential EV fleet capacity that can be installed within a service area.

“This ground-breaking collaboration between The Mobility House and Itron to deliver flexible service connections illustrates the possibilities of Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio. Utilities can now enable intelligence at the grid edge and help end-use customers avoid the financial burden and wait time associated with upgrading distribution infrastructure to support their fleet electrification goals,” said Don Reeves, senior vice president of Outcomes at Itron. “This is just one example of the possibilities for distributed energy resource management enabled by Itron’s technology platform.”

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “NYSERDA’s support of The Mobility House’s fleet electrification technology will enhance utilities’ abilities to more efficiently manage the distribution of energy while serving the growing number of electric school buses on our roads. By integrating this technology into select New York locations, together we will demonstrate how flexible interconnections for electric school buses can help harness energy use for multiple chargers and enable faster charging.”

Transforming Grid Management in New York

The flexible service connection demonstration will roll out in two phases. In the first phase, The Mobility House and Itron will deploy the technology integration with an implementation of five chargers at a school bus site in Staten Island, in collaboration with nonprofit bus operator New York City School Bus Umbrella Services (NYCSBUS) and electric utility provider Consolidated Edison (Con Ed). In the second phase, ten additional chargers will be deployed at a second site elsewhere in New York State.

Key benefits of the integrated technology solution include:

• Cost Savings: Avoids or postpones costly infrastructure upgrades by optimizing power utilization across the distribution service area.
• Speed of deployment: Flexible service connection will allow electric utilities to keep up with the pace of fleet electrification.
• Scalability: Unlocks a replicable model that utilities across New York and the nation can adopt to optimize charging infrastructure.

This project will demonstrate a scalable solution for utilities and fleet operators, enhancing grid flexibility, improving energy management, and contributing to cleaner air in communities most affected by vehicular emissions.

Itron, the Itron Logo, and IntelliFLEX are trademarks of Itron, Inc in the United States and other countries and regions.

About The Mobility House North America

The Mobility House is shaping the zero emissions future of energy and mobility. Our resilient charging technology makes EV charging reliable and flexible, and provides drivers the freedom of zero emissions, zero cost charging. We integrate flexible charging with energy systems to stabilize the electrical grid and free it from fossil fuels. Across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America, The Mobility House currently manages more than 2,700 EV fleet charging facilities, charges hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles, and trades power from more than 180 MWh of energy storage.

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Media Contact:

Dylan Gasperik, Director of Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

650-629-4262

KEYWORDS: United States North America California New York

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Alternative Energy Green Technology Energy Sustainability Technology EV/Electric Vehicles Batteries Environment Fleet Management Transport Other Technology Automotive Software Public Transport Vehicle Technology Utilities

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The flexible service connection demonstration will integrate Itron’s IntelliFLEX DERMS solution, which is part of its Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio, with automated load management (ALM) from The Mobility House’s ChargePilot® charge management system (CMS).

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