Agenda

Below is the agenda from July 2023 in Chicago. If interested in speaking in the West edition, January 2024 in Los Angeles, please see the Call for Speakers.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

8:00 - 9:00 am
Registration and Welcome Coffee

9:00 - 9:30 am
Opening Keynote Address: Opportunities and Implications for Public and Private Sector Participants in the EV Charging Market

As traction towards electric vehicles (EVs) increases, the need for widely available and reliable charging stations is becoming increasingly important. Federal stimulus such as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) is a meaningful boost, however it will require successful navigation by both public and private sectors to achieve each of their objectives. A data enabled approach should be leveraged by both sectors that incorporates federal, state, and local incentives as well as the evolving dynamics across the EV value chain.





9:30 - 10:00 am
If We Build It, Will They Come? Perspectives on EV Revolution from an Infrastructure Provider

• Fundamental challenges to building/sustaining an EV infrastructure ecosystem to drive the nascent EV revolution
• Avoiding risk of stranded investment in charging infrastructure that goes un- or under-utilized
• Coordinating with utilities to ensure that charging becomes an extension of the grid
• Cost-effective strategies for developing a nationwide charging system

10:00 - 10:30 am
Ensuring Sustainable ROI for EV Charging

There have been two predominant challenges when it comes to EV infrastructure. EV adoption has been limited by EV infrastructure and infrastructure has been hindered by the lack of demand or the ability to see where there are revenue opportunities. Changes in EV technology put EVs in a price range that make them more accessible for drivers which has, in turn, increased the demand for infrastructure. Now, technology is catching up on the infrastructure side and that's improving the charging experience for everyone involved, from drivers to station owners/hosts. Public sector incentives are driving much of this change; however, the private sector needs to invest more as well. Understandably, reliability is table stakes to ensure the "vending machine" is up and running. This session will focus on real-world strategies and tactics to deliver sustainable ROI for EV charging business models.

• How the private sector needs to invest more to drive high-density EV charger availability
• Key factors, including AI, for today's open standard networks that drive reliability to ensure the "vending machine" is up and running
• Critical aspects of EV charging to deliver sustainable business models
• Expanding EV charging revenue streams through OOH (Out of Home) and mobile advertising to ensure a sustainable business plan

10:30 - 11:00 am
Networking Coffee Break

11:00 - 11:30 am
Public Charging Business Models: Who Owns the Charging Sites

According to Wood Mackenzie's forecast, the number of public level 2 and DC fast charging (DCFC) ports in North America is projected grow rapidly and set to reach around 6 million in 2050. However, at current utilization rates, DCFC site economics are still challenging due to utility tariff structures that include demand charges. Alternative sources of revenue from advertising, carbon credits, and demand response programs can be used as a supplement until charger utilization reaches the necessary levels for profitability. This session will examine business models for key players in the value chain, including gas stations, quick service restaurants, and convenience stores; EV automakers; and charging network operators. For example, "as a service" business models are becoming common as they help finance the upfront capital required to deploy charging infrastructure. Charging-as-a-service offerings are prevalent among charging network companies looking to expand their footprint and client base.






11:30 - 12:00 pm
Designing a Future-Proof EV Charging Network

This session will discuss the challenges facing a nationwide fast-charging network. It will look at how modeling platforms can help designers, developers, and financiers alike meet their organizational goals and deliver bankable, reliable microgrids that actually meet the current and future needs of electrified public and private transport. We will also address how distributed energy resource-powered EV fast charging stations can take the burden off local utility operators and communities by using onsite generation. A particular focus is how a modeling system can help local utility and DER/microgrid operators by quickly identifying, validating, and designing fast-charging stations while limiting the drain on local power generation and removing the need for costly power transmission line upgrades. This method can also enable the modular upgrade of these locations as mass market penetration of electric vehicles expands. In addition, the session will explore a charging station case study and accompanying research performed. As part of this research new Microgrid Fast Charging Station Designer capabilities, created within the XENDEE platform will be discussed.

• Explore challenges facing a nationwide fast charging station rollout
• Understand the uncertainty and doubt regarding infrastructure investment and how to overcome it
• Limit costs imposed on local ratepayers and create stations that can be upgraded to meet growing needs over time
• Verify our findings with an EV Charging case study performed at UCSD

12:00 - 1:00 pm
Lunch Break

1:00 - 1:30 pm
Mapping the EV Charging Landscape

This session will describe the challenges and methods that adapt the physical world of EV charging infrastructure into digital data structures that describe the location, availability, functionality and specifications of EV charging stations. Real-world approaches to sourcing, normalizing and delivering EV charging data will be shown in detail, for the purposes of analyzing, mapping and transacting with charging stations.

• Digital data structures for describing the location, availability, functionality and specifications of EV charging stations
• Real-world approaches to sourcing, normalizing and delivering EV charging data
• Ingesting, normalizing and 'cleansing' EV charging data to ensure a consistent set of descriptive attributes
• Helping drivers identify and transact digitally with charging stations

1:30 - 2:15 pm
Field Evaluation of Power Quality Impact of Fleet Electric Vehicle Charging on Supply and Distribution Equipment

Amazon has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040, and the partnership with Rivian has led to the launch of 63 sites with 5,186 electric vehicle chargers in 2022 with over 100 electric vans charging at each facility site. In 2023, there will be 130 sites and 21,067 EV chargers with over 300 vans simultaneously charging at a single site. By the end of 2024, Amazon plans to install 120,000 energized chargers at approximately 460 delivery station sites.

Uncertainty remains whether existing distribution infrastructure will serve the increased electric energy demand of fleet electrification throughout the U.S. and whether the high-current switching of hundreds of nonlinear Level 2 and 3 EV fleet chargers is a power quality concern for any single site. This session presents unique insights and observations from field-recorded data of over 300 electric vans simultaneously charging. The power quality analysis performed includes site-measured voltage, current, harmonics, unbalance, total demand distortion, and rapid voltage change. Results of site measurements are provided for numerous charging sessions, for power quality at low-voltage distribution and the medium-voltage point of common coupling. This field-gathered operational data will be used to improve fleet electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) power distribution design considerations and for optimizing charger characteristics.












2:15 - 2:45 pm
The Importance of Charging Standards and Interoperability Testing

Charging standards conformance and interoperability testing play a crucial role in the development and adoption of electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure. They ensure that different EVs and charging stations can communicate and operate seamlessly, regardless of their make or model. Here are some key reasons why charging standards conformance and interoperability testing are crucial:

• Ensuring compatibility
• Simplifying infrastructure deployment
• Seamless charging and enhanced user experience
• Safety and reliability
• Future-proofing and scalability

This presentation will discuss real-world approaches to testing charging standards and the appropriate test platforms for EVSE and EV product development.





2:45 - 3:15 pm
Networking Coffee Break

3:15 - 3:45 pm
Demand Response and EV Charging Integration

Demand response in EV charging is vital for grid management, renewable energy integration, cost optimization, emissions reduction, grid resilience, and consumer engagement. By combining EV chargers and demand response strategies, the charging of electric vehicles can be intelligently managed to ensure the stability and reliability of the grid while maximizing the use of renewable energy resources. This integration helps promote the widespread adoption of electric vehicles as a sustainable transportation solution. This session will focus on how demand response plays an important role in EV charging & overcoming the challenges to integrate.






3:45 - 4:15 pm
Running Multiple EV Charges on One Circuit With a Decentralized Power Bus

Installers of public EV charging stations face numerous challenges for the connection of multiple charging units. Speed of installation at a low cost is of primary importance. Design flexibility that allows additional future EV Charging stations is also critical. Decentralized power distribution has many advantages for optimizing power usage, reducing material cost, hastening installation, and increasing EV charger unit up time. With the ability to run multiple EV charges on one circuit, cost savings and design simplification, decentralized power distribution is highly effective. This presentation will discuss the components of a decentralized power distribution system and examine how to distribute power to multiple EV charges.

• Innovative wiring practices beyond pipe and wire
• Decentralized power bus system and how it works
• Core components of a decentralized power bus distribution system
• How a decentralized power bus distribution system saves installation time
• Basic initial power set-up for running multiple charge stations on one circuit

4:15 - 4:45 pm
Cyber Security Issues in the EV Charging Network





4:45 - 6:30 pm
Networking Drink Reception
Wednesday, July 12, 2023

8:00 - 9:00 am
Morning Coffee

9:00 am - 9:30 am
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Prospects, Progress and Case Study

Because 95% of automobiles are parked at any given moment, electric vehicle batteries are seen as a potentially vast source of energy for the grid. V2G can potentially lower grid operational costs by reducing peak demand, shifting load to off-peak times, and providing ancillary services. A recent study by EPRI found that V2G technology can provide $1 billion in annual grid benefits, given 5 million EVs in 2030 (aggressive EV forecast and a California goal) with half of those V2G-enabled. Furthermore, if half of California's 600,000 EVs today were V2G-enabled, they could provide $39 million in annual net value from peak shaving and ramping support. This session examines where we are with V2G, current trials and proects, and likely future prospects for this technology.





9:30 - 10:00 am
Using Telematics Data for EV Infrastructure Planning

This session will discuss the importance of leveraging telematics data in order to understand vehicle usage and performance when planning for an electrified future. It will address how to prioritize which vehicles can be replaced by electric vehicles (EVs) and what to include in EV charging infrastructure plans. Telematics data provides the key to understanding the energy demands of EVs and can be used to inform on the number of EVSE needed, the location of EVSE and the maximum coincidence load. All of which are key metrics when planning infrastructure.

• Telematics provides a rich and robust data set that can inform decision making
• Criteria for vehicle replacement strategies
• Criteria for EV charging infrastructure plans
• Charging trends from Geotab's EV customer base
• Importance of leveraging telematics data for charging infrastructure planning

10:00 - 10:30 am
Avoid the Speed Trap: Changing the Paradigm for EV Charging

It's human nature to understand new things by comparing them to what we already know, like the time it takes to fill up a car with gas vs. charging an EV. But with EVs, it's important to escape the "speed trap" of charging time, especially as it relates to EVs in fleets. There are plenty of charging challenges at fleet depots besides speed: Stanchions take up valuable space, invite accidents and require maintenance, and heavy-duty charging cables are bulky and difficult to use. With wireless charging, fleets see lower maintenance costs and less damage. It also eliminates human error that comes with forgetting to plug in or unplug chargers. Wireless charging is V2G-ready to improve the experience. With wireless charging, EVs are always V2G connected. More reliable and convenient, wireless charging is ready to support the next big wave in electrification, regardless of the "speed trap."

• Wireless EV charging advances and configuration
• Wireless vs. wired charging: addressing charging challenges at fleet depots
• V2G readiness and wireless charging
• Escaping the "speed trap" of charging time, especially as it relates to EVs in fleets

10:30 - 11:00 am
Networking Coffee Break

11:00 - 11:30 am
The Importance of AI-Driven Energy Storage to Support EV Infrastructure

A known solution to creating a sustainable grid is maximizing the efficiency between energy generation and electric usage. Integrating EV charging on the grid adds additional complexities and unpredictability around how and when energy will be consumed based EV charging patterns per site. A solution to solve this problem is matching behind-the-meter energy storage with AI based calculations around a charging site to determine how energy is consumed daily and to effectively project how it will be consumed each 15 minutes in the future. This balancing act between grid and storage is vital to reduce peak energy exposure and more importantly match upstream generation with downstream actual usage.

• Matching behind-the-meter energy storage with AI-based calculations to measure charging usage patterns
• Balancing between grid and storage to reduce peak energy exposure
• Matching upstream generation with downstream actual usage
• Creating a verticalized energy data distribution system without effort from the EV driver, site host or utility

11:30 - 12:00 pm
Electric Vehicles Charging Station Infrastructure: Plans of the Department of Transportation and Innovations/Alternatives in EV Charging Stations

Articles published about wireless and portable charging in IEEE lead the EV charging industry. In addition, the EV Charging standards published by IEEE provide a solution to standardization problems ( IEEE 2030.1.1, IEEE 2030.1.2). AECOM's project support for commercial EV charging and wireless power transfer has a significant impact on the widespread use of electric vehicles. In this session, the EV charging station plans of the states, the innovations and standards of IEEE, AECOM's commercial EV charging, wireless power transfer projects, and challenges to EV charging stations will be discussed.





12:00 - 1:00 pm
Lunch Break

1:00 - 2:00 pm
EV Site Design, Subsurface Damage Prevention, and Site Selection Due Diligence Fundamentals

This session will dive into the due diligence process of EV site selection and design for an existing residential, commercial, or institutional location. As a site host or turnkey service provider you may have an attractive location for the charging stalls already picked out, but before you get too excited, what are some of the potential pitfalls that may stand in the way of you and a successful deployment? We will examine easements and encumbrances, zoning and setbacks, ADA compliance issues, existing underground utilities, and best practices for approaching proposed utility access. There will also be an emphasis on the new NEVI funding requirements and how those affect the site selection process.

• Due diligence process of EV site selection and design for an existing residential, commercial, or institutional location
• Easements and encumbrances, zoning and setbacks, ADA compliance issues, existing underground utilities, and best practices for approaching proposed utility access
• New NEVI funding requirements and how those affect the site selection process
• 3rd party data related to utility strike damage: Accuracy and benefits of private utility locating and mapping during the pre-design phase of commercial EV charging projects

2:00 - 2:15 pm
Coffee Break

2:15 - 3:45 pm
Grid Resilience and EV Infrastructure in Justice40 Communities

Accelerating the transition to electrification in communities hardest hit by fossil fuels, industrial corridors, and interstate highways is the highest priority for government, utilities, and the communities themselves. Providing the resources to make communities more resilient and grid ready is a huge challenge that government, utilities, and communities are working together to solve. This panel will explore examples of how utilities, community engagement, grassroots organizing, and public and private funding opportunities are helping front-line advocates to meet the needs for EV charging infrastructure, community ownership, and funding access in disparate neighborhoods.