Electric Vehicle Grid Integration

NREL conducts research to support and enhance power grid reliability and efficiency by reducing peak loads through the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) and related infrastructure. 

The lab's electric vehicle integration research spans every segment of the transportation sector, from passenger and commercial fleets to maritime, aviation, and other nonroad applications. 

NREL’' research focuses primarily on developing advanced hardware and control solutions to:

• Enable EV and facility integration into the larger utility grid
• Develop reliable and secure EV charging infrastructure for drivers while reducing grid impacts
• Develop new smart solutions to increase asset utilization that place downward pressure on electricity rates
• Evaluate advanced vehicle and charging technologies to derisk next-generation  transportation solutions. 

These research and development approaches both derisk and improve the feasibility of scaling charging systems by increasing affordability, strengthening grid resilience, and supporting the integration of all energy sources. Many of these activities also support the U.S. Department of Energy's EVs@Scale Laboratory Consortium.

Research and Development

Facilities

To support research and development, NREL has comprehensive EV infrastructure research facilities.

Integrated Data and Analysis Tools

Bolstered by world-class computational science and high-performance computing capabilities, NREL's integrated suite of data and analysis tools—the EVI-X Modeling Suite of EV Charging Infrastructure Analysis Tools—informs the development of innovative EV grid integration strategies.

See our full collection of tools.

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