Taipower Smart Charging Pilot Zone

Taipower suggested that the existing electric cars adopt the grid-to-vehicle charging model, in which electricity is only transmitted from the grid to cars. By contrast, Taipower’s charging pilot zone features two-way charging/discharging (along with simultaneous charging for up to 4 cars). Therefore, when an EV with discharging function (e.g., Nissan LEAF) is connected to the company’s charging station, the vehicle can in turn send electricity back to an electrical grid, if necessary, at 15kW. Under such circumstances, the EV has transformed itself into a standby power supply. The charging stations come with an energy management system (EMS), enabling remote monitoring of charging status to ensure charging safety. Additionally, the system is available for smart charging, whereby the charge can be distributed over time through scheduling and avoided during peak load, thus helping improve energy efficiency and maintain grid stability. EMS can also be integrated with Taipower’s to-be-released electricity charges scheme for EVs, allowing drivers to charge their cars with off-peak discounts by setting the desired charging capacity and duration. The Taiwanese utility company stated that the charging zone is opened to citizens to charge their EVs for free from 8am to 5pm during trial run (starting today) as long as they have registered with the service center of the Taipei City branch (at the first floor) in advance.