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ENMAX predicts 200K electric vehicles in Calgary by 2035, begins compiling charging data

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CALGARY -

Calgary's electricity provider is expecting a massive increase in the number of electric vehicles on city streets in the coming years and has launched a pilot to start tracking charging trends.

Jana Mosley, president of ENMAX Power, says there are currently about 3,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in the city but that number could reach 200,000 by 2035, and now is the time to begin formulating an approach.

"We really see this, at this point of time, as an opportunity as we're advancing on our goals to achieve net zero, and move towards a cleaner energy future," said Mosley. "But there is no doubt that we are going to see our system be further taxed if we see EVs plugging in and charging, in say the same localized area. And this research and some of our other EV adoption studies are helping inform 'how do we stay ahead of that?'"

Charge Up, ENMAX's electric vehicle smart charging pilot, is looking for 250 EV owners to participate in the year-long study.

"I expect that we will be needing to upgrade infrastructure, particularly local transformers, some of the conductor into certain homes, depending on the type of chargers people decide to install. But our job is to figure out how do we maximize the grid that is in place today, and minimize those investments wherever possible."

According to Mosley, preliminary data indicates EVs charging patterns are consistent with the conventional end of the work day.

"We're seeing that they're tending to do that at 5 p.m., when our system is already at peak based on everybody coming home and turning on the lights and appliances and TVs as they start to cook dinner," said Mosley. "What we want to do in this second phase of our pilot is see if we can monitor those charging behaviors as they move around throughout the city, and figure out what motivates people to charge — how, when, how long — and then work with customers to see if we can influence that behavior to be charging at a different time of day, so that we aren't charging at system peak and can therefore avoid incremental investment in some of this neighborhood infrastructure."

Blake Shaffer, an economist and researcher who also owns a Tesla, is encouraged by ENMAX's proactive approach as he also predicts a boon in the prevalence of EVs in Alberta following a period of initial apprehension.

"We know it's gonna be big," said Shaffer. "Alberta will no doubt lag probably most other parts of the world. Our gas is cheap here, maybe people aren't as excited about EVs as other parts of the world."

He points to Germany as an example of a country that has embraced EVs, and the savings of an efficient electric motor that costs nearly one-fifth of the amount to 'fuel', despite their known love for "big muscle, diesel cars."

"Electric vehicles were about three per cent of new sales (in Germany) two years ago. Last month, they were 30 per cent. So the growth is really accelerating. Alberta will probably be behind that curve, but I have no doubt in my mind this is where we're headed for sure for transportation."

Shaffer believes incentivizing EV owners to charge at times of diminished demand on the grid is the best path forward.

"Either we'll be building up the grid to support this, and that will come with some costs, or we can do smart things like encouraging people to charge at off-peak times or at different times or coordinated charging, where we can pretty much use the distribution grid we have if we just use it in a smarter way."

Mosley says participants in the program will be compensated.

"There is a financial incentive to sign up for the program, a $20 sign up reward, and there's a thank you gift at the end of the program. And then for some people participating in the program, depending on charging behaviour, there'll be other incentives offered throughout the program. The program is going to kick off here this week, and we expect it to run for a year. So at the end of December 2022, we'll bring it to a close."

For additional details regarding the program, including application information, visit ENMAX Charge Up.

With files from CTV's Kevin Green

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