Photo: EVO Power
A Toyota dealer on Long Island says it cut its energy costs by an average of 55% over three months by putting solar, battery storage, DC fast chargers, and AI-powered energy management under one roof.
Sunrise Toyota operates dealerships in Oakdale and Medford, New York. Utility bills were already rising, and adding the DC fast chargers required by Toyota risked pushing costs even higher.
That’s because commercial customers don’t just pay for how much electricity they use. Their bills can also include demand charges based on the highest amount of power they draw at once, and a DC fast charger can cause a costly spike.
Battery storage developer Sprocket Power built and now manages an integrated system at the two dealerships that combines onsite solar, EVO Power batteries, Kempower DC fast chargers, and software from Ranial Systems.
Ranial’s AI-enabled software coordinates the equipment, deciding when to store solar power and when to discharge the batteries to keep the dealerships’ grid demand down. It can also directly control the EV chargers and participate in utility grid programs that generate bill credits and revenue.
In other words, the AI makes sure the dealerships use stored energy when it’s most valuable.
According to EVO Power, the system delivered average energy savings of 55% during its first three months, maintained 99% battery uptime, and reduced peak demand by up to 101 kilowatts. (Those results haven’t been independently verified.)
Sprocket Power’s case study projects that the two dealerships will ultimately reduce their net utility costs by 90% and recover their investment in five years. Sprocket says revenue and bill credits from grid programs account for about half of the system’s ongoing financial benefit.
“We have experienced rising utility costs for years,” said Jimmy Berg, dealer principal at Sunrise Toyota. “This investment in our facility and business creates a strong investment case by controlling these costs.”
EVO Power and Ranial take the model US-wide
EVO Power USA and Ranial Systems have now announced a partnership to bring the same battery-and-software setup to more commercial and industrial sites across the US.
EVO supplies the integrated battery storage hardware, while Ranial provides the software that monitors and controls how the system operates.
“At EVO Power USA, we believe battery energy storage systems should serve as an intelligent energy platform that optimizes renewable energy generation and consumption, actively participates in grid programs, reduces stress on the electric grid, and ultimately lowers customers’ energy costs while creating new revenue opportunities,” said Yanu Choi, CEO of EVO Power USA. “That is why we see Ranial as a strategic partner.”
EVO says it has completed more than 125 battery deployments worldwide, with many operating for more than five years.
The Sunrise Toyota project makes a good case for combining storage with commercial EV charging. Simply installing solar wouldn’t necessarily stop a DC fast charger from creating a demand spike when the sun goes down. A battery paired with active controls can handle that sudden load and keep a single charging session from inflating the dealership’s monthly bill.
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