(New York) March 6th, 2024 – EnergyHub announced that they are collaborating with Toyota Motor North America (Toyota) to improve the electric vehicle (EV) ownership experience.
EnergyHub develops software to help utilities manage the growing number of devices connected to the power grid, like smart thermostats, electric vehicles, and solar panels. These devices are called distributed energy resources (DERs). EnergyHub’s platform essentially turns these individual devices into a network that can be controlled by the software.
The partnership between EnergyHub and Toyota Motors aims to optimize the usage and charging of Toyota EVs by leveraging EnergyHub’s smart energy management technology. This collaboration will enable EnergyHub to provide energy usage data to Toyota, which will help the carmaker improve its EV models and provide a better driving experience to its customers.
A direct integration with EnergyHub’s platform enables Toyota and Lexus drivers to take advantage of certain utility programs designed to reduce the cost of charging for EV customers, while helping utilities ensure grid reliability and accelerate decarbonization.
Shifting EV charging load away from times of peak electricity demand helps keep the grid reliable. It can enable utilities to defer infrastructure investments. These investments would otherwise be needed to meet increased demand for electricity as transportation electrification accelerates. Moreover, this helps keep rates low for all customers.
“Our collaboration with Toyota is a key milestone in EnergyHub’s effort to maximize customer choice through the largest ecosystem of EV OEM and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) partners,” said Matt Johnson, VP of Business Development at EnergyHub. “This integration accelerates our work to improve the overall EV ownership experience. It also unlocks grid service value for our utility clients.”
Customers of utilities that partner with EnergyHub can access several types of EV programs. These programs depend on what is available for their vehicles. They include managed charging, vehicle-to-grid, EV-specific time-of-use rates, off-peak rebates, and EV data programs designed to support infrastructure planning. Furthermore, this allows EV owners to unlock rebates to offset the price of installing eligible EV charging equipment. It also provides incentives for shifting charging based on system-wide and localized grid constraints.
“Empowering our Toyota and Lexus EV customers with cost-effective energy solutions that reduce emissions. This underscores Toyota’s commitment to sustainable mobility and contributes to the grid,” said James George, General Manager, EV Charging Solutions at Toyota. “Our collaboration with EnergyHub is an important step forward in enabling an exceptional customer experience within a home energy ecosystem.”
Potomac Edison, based in Maryland, is the first EnergyHub utility client. Moreover, they enable customers to enroll Toyota and Lexus vehicles via EnergyHub’s platform. EnergyHub is actively expanding participation to additional utility programs in 2024.
EnergyHub views partnerships with OEMs as critical to maximizing the value of grid service programs for utilities and EV owners. Moreover, as a distributed energy resource management firm in North America, EnergyHub prioritizes these partnerships.
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