BMW joins Ford, GM in DTE Energy’s Smart Charge Program, integrating electric vehicle charging with their net zero carbon emissions goals

Innovative partnership enables efficient use of electricity, reduces stress on the grid and rewards EV drivers

Detroit, May 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DETROIT, May 9, 2022 –DTE Energy today announced that BMW has joined General Motors and Ford Motor Company in the second year of the DTE Smart Charge program, a collective, clean energy vision of optimizing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging to help reduce stress on the energy grid. DTE Smart Charge, a demand response program, is a partnership of DTE, automakers, and EV owners, which aims to reduce electricity use during periods of high demand.

DTE, Michigan’s largest energy company and a leader in clean energy, is one of only a few energy companies in the U.S. to implement this type of program. It utilizes EV charge management with telematics, which connects an onboard vehicle module with the automaker’s back office to schedule and optimize the vehicle’s charging times.

“We are excited to bring BMW into this collaborative pilot,” said John Boladian, director of Energy Efficiency at DTE. “Its participation will help us further the DTE Smart Charge program by providing valuable data to ensure our grid can continue to meet the charging needs and electric demands of our customers now and into the future. It is all a part of our goal of providing reliable energy across our service territory, while continuing to be a leader in clean energy.”

The DTE Smart Charge program will monitor EV participants’ charging patterns and peak energy usage. The automakers and DTE will temporarily pause charging of enrolled vehicles during peak energy times, which are referred to as events. Participants can opt out of events at any time through their automakers’ app. These combined efforts between DTE, automakers and participating EV owners will help improve electric service reliability in the future as EV adoption increases across Michigan.

Smart Charge leverages the Open Vehicle Grid Integrated Platform (OVGIP) which enables the management of EV charging from multiple automakers in a grid-friendly and EV driver-centric manner. A combined initiative between the energy and automotive industries, OVGIP allows energy companies to address the entire electric vehicle ecosystem through a single, unified, and open interface. It also provides benefits to EV owners by allowing them to take advantage of utility incentives through improved grid capacity utilization without inconveniencing the EV driver’s schedule.