Insightful Commentary from Oren Halevi, Chief Product Officer, Driivz
April 14, 2025 | Escalating energy requirements have electricity users and suppliers racing to secure swiftly deployable generation and storage resources. This predicament is familiar to electric vehicle (EV) fleet managers, as energy limitations persist as a primary worry in the ongoing e-mobility shift. Fortunately, combining on-site battery storage with sophisticated energy management tools can transform these obstacles into opportunities for growth.
These pioneering solutions have already demonstrated their effectiveness, assisting electric vehicle charging networks in maximizing the use of current infrastructure, enhancing grid stability, and lowering operational expenses. For fleet operators, charge point operators (CPOs), grid planners, and high-volume energy users, integrated on-site battery storage provides a pathway to circumvent typical utility-side hurdles, facilitating smoother fleet growth, resilience, and cost efficiencies. These behind-the-meter solutions are not merely about overcoming challenges; they are critical to the future of sustainable, economical electric fleet management.
Battery-Buffered EV Charging
Battery-buffered EV charging utilizes on-site batteries that gradually gather energy throughout the day from the grid or nearby renewable energy sources, such as solar panels. Once the batteries are charged with cost-effective energy, they can quickly return electricity to the grid as a demand-response asset or supply energy to chargers within a microgrid. Batteries provide a much quicker load demand response than the gradual ramp-up periods that traditional thermal power plants necessitate, rendering them ideal “peaker” plants adept at addressing the evolving energy requirements of the grid and charging station.
A charge point management system (CPMS) can integrate smart charging with an efficient battery energy storage system (BESS) to optimize energy even further. A comprehensive CPMS offers a suite of interconnected smart energy management tools that oversee charging and facilitate energy distribution between vehicles, on-site resources such as batteries, and the grid. Additionally, it can generate extra revenue streams to validate the investment in localized storage at the site.
In the event of a load surge in the system, such as when multiple EVs are plugged in, the CPMS coordinates with the onsite controller to discharge energy to assist. Furthermore, power obtained from stationary battery storage can substitute grid-supplied electricity during peak pricing periods. When demand and/or energy costs decrease, the onsite controller automatically replenishes the battery using the grid, onsite renewables, or a combination of both.
EV Fleet Charging Advantages
Escalating installation expenses, site-related challenges, and frustratingly lengthy interconnection queues have hindered the growth of transmission infrastructure. For instance, merely 125 miles of high-voltage transmission lines were added in the U.S. in 2024. However, these obstacles can be mitigated with well-managed BESS.
BESS can defer, avert, or diminish transmission and generation system upgrades in areas facing congestion due to load growth by establishing a dynamic bidirectional operating reserve that responds to fluctuations in generation and demand. BESS systems help enhance local grid power quality and bolster resilience. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discovered that battery-buffered systems cut down power grid service capacity needs by around 50% to 80% compared to a charging station solely powered by the grid, while providing a comparable charging experience for drivers.
As per a Cox Automotive analysis, although merely 14% of current fleets operate EVs, the majority of U.S. fleets are anticipated to convert to electric by 2030. As the industry evolves, battery-buffered EV charging combined with intelligent energy management will empower fleet managers to capitalize on emerging Distributed Energy Resource (DER) markets. Nevertheless, accessing such markets necessitates the integration of EV charging and energy management solutions with current fleet management systems, like those that schedule routes and vehicle availability.
Smart energy management can amplify a site’s capacity for EV charging up to six times without enhancing its electrical infrastructure. When paired with BESS, intelligent energy management unlocks a site’s maximum energy throughput. Besides operational and capital cost reductions, battery-buffered systems can take advantage of curtailment and specialized tariff structures for added savings, optimize and integrate renewable energy sources, and assist organizations in achieving decarbonization objectives and bolstering local grid resilience.
Time Equals Wealth, Therefore Conserve Both
Battery-supported charging offers numerous hits on target for fleet administrators, especially in regions with restricted grid capability. By integrating on-site battery storage alongside intelligent energy management solutions, fleet operators can not merely accelerate the speed and productivity of their charging systems but also decrease energy expenditures and the necessity for costly grid enhancements. The timeless saying “time is wealth” holds true in a compounded fashion.
Combining Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) with fleet EV charging presents an enticing option compared to relying on your utility provider. The latter approach entails spending more now and even higher costs down the line.
The installation of a battery on-site for a fleet, convenience establishment, or other property owner may appear uneconomical when considered in isolation; however, when it is complemented by the extra income from energy markets, savings on upgrades, and the supplementary chargers that it can facilitate, it can yield significant ROI.
Oren Halevi serves as the Chief Product Officer at Driivz. With more than 26 years of expertise in crafting essential business products, Oren has collaborated with big data and autonomous and electric vehicle products, covering all aspects from development to large-scale rollouts. He can be contacted at oren.halevi@driivz.com.
