Part of the Beyond Off Street Smart Meter Electric Vehicle Charging programme, funded by the government department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
The SmartSTEP project is intended to demonstrate how the smart metering system can be used to set charging times and rates wherever EVs (electric vehicles) are parked and charging over a period of several hours – to use electricity when it is at its cheapest, such as overnight or when electricity is available from renewable energy sources, and to balance and protect the electricity distribution network.
SmartSTEP will help to determine long-term policy for EV smart charging, which requires an interoperable and cyber secure system to ensure consumer protection (including data privacy) and grid protection. By acting as an interface between the EV user and the grid, the smart meter system can provide this protection.
The project will develop and test an Electric Vehicle (EV) chargepoint device incorporating SMETS2 smart meter technology. The objective is to demonstrate an innovative use of the smart metering system - to perform EV smart charging in public settings, including on-street residential and shared parking.
Registered and officially accepted STEP Trial participants in Brent will automatically benefit from this new Smart capability.
Manufacture and trial of 100 devices are to take place in 2022.
SmartSTEP Customer Offer
The SmartSTEP project will allow access to a cheap overnight electricity for 4 hours between 00.30 and 04.30. In order to ensure customers can access this low overnight price, they will be able to set preferences for managing charging based on 3 options:
- “Plug and play” – charge straight away as soon as the lance is plugged in; or
- “Delayed charging” – schedule charging to start at 00.30 to make the most of the low price electricity. There is also an option to charge for only the hours where the price is lower;
- “Smartcharge” – the Trojan portal will optimise charging to reduce costs and support the grid where possible. Customers will need to enter how full their battery is and the approximate time they want to use their car next, and the app will ensure that as much of the low-cost charging period can be used as possible, while still ensuring customers have full charge when they want it.
Charging speed: The usual Trojan Energy chargers are capable of charging up to 22kW AC, but in order to use the smart metering technology, the chargers will be limited to 7kW AC.
