Michigan Economic Development Corporation Selects Rhythmos.io for Optimized EV Charging Pilot Program
To help energy providers manage the impact of electric vehicle (EV) charging on distribution systems, the State of Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) has awarded a $170,000 grant to Rhythmos.io for an innovative pilot program focused on grid-edge optimized EV charging within Consumers Energy's Grand Rapids service territory. This funding will enable the demonstration of a sustainable and equitable model for cost-effectively supporting electric providers’ growing EV adoption while managing grid impact. The program could lead to substantial cost savings, with Rhythmos.io estimating an average public utility serving 250,000 customers could save more than $7.3 million by 2035 in avoided and deferred transformer upgrades with optimized charging, like its CadencyEdgeAI℠ platform.
“This project is the latest example of how mobility technology can enable real-world solutions to challenges directly impacting Michigan communities,” said Justine Johnson, chief mobility officer for the State of Michigan at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). “Energy providers are exploring tools that make electrification more seamless for EV drivers and cost-effective for everyone. This project explores how energy providers can enhance grid reliability as EV adoption accelerates and keep Michigan at the forefront of clean energy advancement.”
The project integrates Rhythmos.io's grid monitoring and analytics technology with Optiwatt's charging management platform. As North America's largest provider of EV-managed charging and a leader in EV smart charging, Optiwatt harnesses data-driven insights to optimize home charging costs for a community of more than 80,000 EV drivers. The integrated approach between Rhythmos.io and Optiwatt helps utilities understand specific grid-edge constraints and actively manage EV charging while ensuring reliable service for drivers.
The grant was awarded through the Michigan Mobility Funding Program (MMFP), through which the State of Michigan offers support for real-world testing and deployments of mobility solutions across the state. With NextEnergy serving as the project manager for this grant, the Rhythmos.io technology will identify Level 2 EV charging locations and monitor their impact on distribution system assets. The pilot will also recruit existing EV drivers to participate in an optimized charging program designed to reduce both energy infrastructure costs and customer charging expenses.
"This deployment is a significant step in smart EV infrastructure development," said Ken Munson, CEO at Rhythmos.io. "We're creating a model that enables utilities to balance electrification loads without investing millions in upgrades, and expensive and complicated utility control platforms. We are revolutionizing how energy providers manage EV charging by demonstrating how our solution can securely and intelligently identify grid constraints and support distributed energy resource optimization, like electric vehicles, at scale. The Rhythmos.io solution is less expensive, simpler to implement, and extracts value more quickly for utilities better than competitor approaches."
The project's success will be measured through multiple metrics, including comparing detected versus known EV charging locations, quantifying shifted load patterns, and tracking customer energy cost savings. The pilot program will provide valuable insights for energy providers nationwide as they work to accommodate growing EV adoption. The results will be published in a comprehensive use case study documenting the economic and technical benefits of this approach.
“Consumers Energy is powering Michigan’s EV transformation and providing solutions to make electric vehicle ownership convenient and affordable,” said Lauren Snyder, Consumers Energy’s vice president of customer experience. “This pilot represents an innovative strategy that could reduce EV costs and optimize the electric grid to benefit all customers.”
Rhythmos.io recently collaborated with leading consulting firm Energy and Environmental Economics (E3) to assess the impact of optimized managed EV charging on existing grid infrastructure. The study findings, detailed in a comprehensive white paper by E3, reveal that for the energy providers modeled, optimized EV charging could reduce distribution transformer upgrade costs by up to approximately 60% compared to unmanaged charging.
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