Delivering electric vehicle charging insights in strategic locations
In the rapidly expanding electric vehicle (EV) market, Driivz, a leading platform for EV charging operations, energy management, billing, and payment processing, has made a significant impact. Founded in 2013 and acquired by Vontier in 2022, Driivz has also incorporated energy storage and charging management specialist Sparkion under the EVolve brand.
Driivz differentiates itself by offering a scalable and comprehensive solution to global customers, managing some of the largest EV charging networks in the world. The company targets companies in the EV charging business, such as CPOs and fleet operators, with its software solution described as "an operating system for EV charging networks."
One of the key features that sets Driivz apart is the integration of local energy controllers. These controllers provide real-time responsiveness and integration capabilities that cloud-only platforms cannot match, ensuring safe, efficient, and resilient EV charging operations.
**Advantages of a Local Energy Controller in EV Charging and Energy Management**
In cases of unpredictable energy demand, a local controller can act quickly to receive information from smart meters and adjust charging, stop charging, or draw additional energy from on-site battery storage to compensate for additional load. This rapid response to real-time demand is crucial, especially in situations where unmanaged heavy loads suddenly consume power, potentially causing circuit overloads.
Local controllers are also essential for sites with distributed energy resources like solar panels or battery storage. These controllers can optimally manage the flow of electricity between the grid, storage, and EV chargers, maximizing the use of on-site renewables and stored energy, and minimizing grid dependence during peak demand or outages.
For complex sites with multiple energy consumers and dynamic loads, a local controller provides granular, site-specific load management. This is critical for preventing circuit overloads, minimizing utility demand charges, and ensuring reliable charging availability for all users.
**When Is a Local Energy Controller Necessary?**
A local controller is necessary in situations where there are unmanaged heavy loads that can cause rapid, unpredictable demand spikes, or where there is integration of on-site storage or renewables. It is also essential for high-scale or complex charging sites, where local intelligence becomes essential for reliable, real-time energy management.
**Driivz's Offerings and Future Plans**
Driivz provides a white-label app to customers, allowing them to customize the app to their brand, and also handles the full billing cycle. The company is currently working on a pilot project to integrate with charging depots, fleets, and roaming protocols, aiming to become an open-source project.
V2G (vehicle-to-grid) technology presents intriguing income opportunities, but it is still mostly a pilot-stage tech. Driivz demonstrated V2G capabilities in 2019, but it is yet to be seen in any commercial use. Battery storage is a great plus for EV charging installations, and battery-to-grid applications such as demand response could provide the revenue needed to justify an investment in batteries.
Driivz and Sparkion offer a combination of cloud and on-site energy management for EV charging infrastructure. The company does not typically work with companies offering turnkey charging solutions, preferring to work with best-of-breed solutions in hardware, software, services, etc.
In summary, Driivz's local energy controllers are essential for sites with unpredictable loads, integrated energy storage or renewables, or complex energy management needs. They provide real-time responsiveness and integration capabilities that cloud-only platforms cannot match, ensuring safe, efficient, and resilient EV charging operations.
In the realm of electric-vehicle charging networks, Driivz's local energy controllers offer an advantage by responding quickly to unpredictable energy demand, preventing circuit overloads, and optimizing the use of on-site renewables and stored energy. As a comprehensive solution provider, Driivz targets companies in the EV charging business, particularly those with complex charging sites and dynamic loads, offering a scalable solution that functions as an operating system for EV charging networks.
