News: WattTime App Points You To Clean Energy When Charging EVs

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Use Your Phone To Figure Out the Green Time To Charge

WattTime, a Berkeley, Calif., nonprofit, has developed a smartphone app that will help you charge your battery electric vehicle with the cleanest electricity, thus reducing CO2 emissions.

WattTime’s cofounder, Gavin McCormick, said using the app can curb CO2 emissions by at least five percent, with some regions where nuclear or solar power are more prevalent even benefitting from a 100 percent reduction, Spectrum IEEE reports.

green charging
Green charging–it’s about knowing your network

The power grid shifts minute-to-minute between a coal plant and, say, a solar or wind farm, depending on energy demand.

WattTime mines two datasets that enable the app to predict what power plant will be used to meet increased electricity demand at any moment in 106 markets across the U.S.

If a carbon-spewing coal plant is coming on line to meet additional demand, the app can help you delay charging until a clean source of energy is being used, delivering the greenest electricity possible.

A WattTime analysis of New England’s power grid suggested that chargers designed to optimize for price, rather than emissions, can actually increase carbon emissions.

The company believes that its empowering technology gives consumers the ability to shape energy demand and direct it toward cleaner sources.

WattTime is partnering with electric vehicle charging companies, plus it has partnerships with smart thermostat providers that use the app’s intelligence to time electric heating and cooling for minimum carbon emissions. One charging partner that has incorporated WattTime software into its charging system is eMotorWerks.

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Larry Hall

Larry E. Hall is Managing Editor & Editor-at-Large at Clean Fleet Report. His interest and passion for automobiles began at age 7, cleaning engine parts for his father, a fleet manager for a regional bakery. He has written about cars and the automobile industry for more than 25 years and has focused his attention on “green” cars and advanced technology vehicles. Larry’s articles have been published by Microsoft’s MSNBC.com and MSN Autos as their alternative vehicles correspondent and Senior Editor at HybridCars.com. He is the founding president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association and a member of the Motor Press Guild.
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