Time-of-Use rates were supposed to save the grid. Instead, they’re creating a “snapback effect” in EV-heavy neighborhoods. (The Grist)
Utility pricing that encourages everyone to wait until night to charge has created a dangerous new artificial peak—thousands of EVs drawing power the second rates drop, threatening to blow local transformers just as effectively as AC units do at noon.
The fix? Active managed charging, where algorithms act as air traffic controllers to stagger charging sessions throughout the night.
A new Brattle Group study finds this method can roughly double local hosting capacity, defer costly infrastructure upgrades for up to a decade, and save utilities $400 per EV annually—all without ever leaving a driver with an empty battery.