Insight Brief: AI for Transportation Electrification
Research

Insight Brief: AI for Transportation Electrification

  • Rising EV adoption requires active managed charging to reduce grid costs and delays.
  • Disaggregating AMI data into EV loads helps utilities identify EV drivers, optimize charging programs, and enhance forecasts.
  • Trust in AI grows through experience, enabling smarter planning for dynamic, digitalized future grids.

Rising electric vehicle adoption is both a challenge and an opportunity for electric utilities. Utilities use a variety of information-gathering tools to form transportation electrification strategies and implement customer offerings like active managed charging programs.

This brief takes a closer look at where AI dovetails with transportation electrification, how AI-based EV detection and EV characterization with meter data work, and what two utilities have achieved by using machine learning insights to inform plans and programs. Our resource is intended to educate utility staff and their stakeholders with limited previous exposure to machine learning and other forms of AI. We present:

  • How AI works, using deep learning trained on AMI data as an example
  • Why there is an opportunity to expand the use of AI in transportation electrification planning
  • Utilities’ experiences using one form of AI to strengthen their EV initiatives
  • Topics to consider when exploring AI tools
  • A glossary with the key terms at the intersection of AI and EVs

SEPA partnered with Bidgely to dive into how AI works and how utilities are deploying AI tools to unlock the full potential of transportation electrification, highlighting real-world examples of two North American electric utilities using machine learning to drive smarter investments and streamline operations.

Download the publication to explore how AI can future-proof your grid and unlock the full potential of the EV revolution.

Authors

Ann Collier, Senior Manager, Emerging Technology, SEPA
Garrett Fitzgerald, Senior Director, Transportation, SEPA
Brittany Blair, Senior Analyst, Research & Industry Strategy, SEPA

With Contributions from Project Partner:

Maria Kretzing, P.E., VP and GM, Electric Vehicles & Analytics, Bidgely
Mary Mantese, Senior Manager of Innovation, Bidgely
Jason Ferster, Director of Product Marketing, Bidgely

Insight Brief: AI for Transportation Electrification