Flathead Electric Cooperative begins electrical vehicle charging program
Flathead Electric Cooperative has launched its EV Charging Assistant program, which is intended to benefit the area electrical grid and all co-op members, regardless of electrical vehicle ownership.
The EV Charging Assistant program helps residential electrical vehicle owners manage charging in ways that contribute to a resilient power grid, which supports everyone in our electric system.
Enrolling in the program is free and is done wirelessly. No equipment is needed in the member’s vehicle or home. The EV Charging Assistant encourages residential EV owners to avoid charging during peak demand hours, which are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. through a bonus incentive and strike system. Program participants who successfully avoid charging during most peak demand hours will have a chance to win prizes, including a month’s worth of electricity at their home. Participants’ monthly electric bills will highlight their estimated savings from the EV Charging Assistant program. The EV Charging Assistant will optimize charging for the vehicle’s battery, which is likely to extend its life cycle.
Flathead Electric officials note that the area’s electrical grid benefits when any member shifts their demand for electricity to off-peak demand hours. When the co-op purchases power from its wholesale power provider, Bonneville Power Administration, during peak demand hours, it pays more than it would during off-peak hours. The EV Charging Assistant program supports the goal of keeping electric rates affordable by purchasing less power overall during peak demand hours, benefiting the entirety of the co-op's 57,000-plus membership.
“There are many unknowns in our energy future, but one thing we are certain of is that the cheapest kilowatt hour is the one we do not have to purchase,” Co-op General Manager Mark Johnson said. “Programs like the EV Charging Assistant are a vital tool to help our area manage an uncertain energy future by reducing our power requirements during peak demand hours. It is important to understand that programs like this one do not help just the members taking advantage of them — they contribute to rate stability for everyone.”
Electrical vehicles are by no means the only machine demanding electricity from the grid — many members now own battery-powered, electrically-charged weed eaters, robot lawnmowers, jet boats, tractors, bikes, and other implements that were formerly powered by fossil fuels.
In addition, the area has seen enormous growth in the last few years. The co-op has installed over 6,000 new electric services since the beginning of 2020.
Jason Williams, Assistant General Manager-Engineering, Operations, and Power, said society is asking more and more of the electric grid at the same time as electrical generation is being retired.
“That’s why we talk about ‘resource adequacy,’” he said “We need to work together to explore all of the ways to buy less power, particularly during peak demand hours. The EV Charging Assistant program will help us understand how one group of our members, our EV owners, impact the grid, and how we can help soften those impacts for everyone.”
Ashley Keltner serves as the Co-op's Distributed Energy Specialist. He is tasked with designing, implementing, and managing distributed energy resource programs like the EV Charging Assistant that optimize grid reliability for the Cooperative’s members.
“Flathead Electric staff sees very little risk, and high potential to provide value, to our members through this pilot program,” Keltner said. “If successful, it can be expanded to manage additional EV charging and other loads in the future. This pilot is the first phase of an evolving distributed energy resources management program intended to create grid partnerships with our members and take advantage of new and expanding technologies.”
The EV Charging Assistant program is limited to the first 100 EV-owning residential members to sign up. Hybrid vehicles will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please visit
flatheadelectric.com/EVassistant.