Drive Clean Colorado is excited to highlight our partnership with one of our gold sponsors, Rolling Energy Resources. Rolling Energy Resources (RER), located in Boulder, CO, provides a new approach to data monitoring and demand for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging systems. Rolling Energy Resources provides EV users smart charging, demand response, and EV solutions for all automotive brands, regardless of location plug-in and hardware! We spoke with Dawn Wieber, Communications Specialist at Rolling Energy Resources, and Carl Kalin, Grant Specialist at Rolling Energy Resources, to learn more about how Rolling Energy Resources is improving equitable EV charging in Colorado and their work with us to promote EV recognition and adoption strategies.
Rolling Energy Resources software has the ability to determine where and when people charge, measuring the gap in home charging access in the rental community. EV driver enrollment in Rolling Energy Resources allows for drivers to contribute to better planning for EV charging stations, thus resulting in an increased EV adoption in renters. Rolling Energy Resources even provides individual RER MyCharge reports that let drivers review their monthly spending costs on charging. Rolling Energy Resources was recently awarded an SBIR research grant by the U.S. Department of Energy to better understand EV charging issues for underserved communities. RER was among the 259 projects across 38 states that were awarded. Read more about RER’s solutions, program benefits, and research here.
How is RER working to improve equitable EV charging in Colorado and add how can EV drivers help?
EV adoption among renters is believed to be lagging due to lack of home charging access. RER has the ability to determine when and where people charge, allowing us to measure the gap in home charging among the rental community. This will then allow for better planning for EV charging stations in multifamily housing, thus facilitating increased EV adoption for renters. By signing up for RER, EV drivers contribute to the solution because this provides the necessary information needed to plan for EV charging installation. Enrolled EV drivers will receive monthly RER MyCharge reports with their unique charging data like how much they are spending each month on charging (and how much they are saving vs. having to purchase gasoline). The first fifty EV drivers in the Colorado Springs area will receive a $100 cash incentive for enrolling as part of our SBIR research grant recently awarded to us by the DOE. The next fifty drivers to enroll will receive $50.
What grant did RER just receive and what do you hope to accomplish with this funding?
The federal DOE has awarded RER an SBIR Phase 1 grant to create a proof of concept that can be used to collect and analyze data from various sources needed to address the EV charger issues for underserved communities. These data sources include RER’s real time charging data from volunteer EV drivers, residential rental data, locations and capacity of public charging stations and the EV population of Colorado by location (zip codes). These data sets will enable RER to quantify where and how much there are equity issues for EV adoption in Colorado and how to mitigate inequities.
In addition, RER’s efforts will enable Colorado utilities and local governments to have a decision support capability to improve the efficiency of investments in EV adoption and to measure improvements as they occur over the next decade.
What are the next steps for RER?
RER is working diligently to sign up Colorado EV drivers to collect charging data for the proof of concept with a focus on Colorado Springs municipality which is helping in partnership with this grant. DCC is a key partner in this effort to sign up EV drivers. Success with this effort will enable RER to submit a Phase 2 grant application for $1.1 million to extend the proof of concept into a prototype decision support system that will help all Colorado utilities and local governments to measure, monitor and improve the quality of equity in our EV adoption strategies.
How does partnering with Drive Electric Colorado help you work towards your goals?
Drive Electric Colorado and Drive Clean Colorado have increasing recognition among EV drivers, and great outreach to prospective EV drivers. DEC/DCC can help promote the need for EV drivers to sign up for RER and support this important study.
