Clean Power Alliance Launches Dynamic Pricing-Based EV Charging Program in Los Angeles

New program aims to enroll over six thousand EV drivers annually, enhance load optimization, and advance California’s clean energy goals.

PALO ALTO, CA, February 5, 2025 - Clean Power Alliance (CPA), California’s largest Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) and the leading green power provider in the country has partnered with ev.energy to launch EV SmartCharge, an innovative managed electric vehicle (EV) charging program that debuted on January 16, 2025. This initiative underscores CPA’s commitment to sustainable energy practices by advancing EV adoption and load optimization across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The Los Angeles area has the highest EV penetration in the country. EV SmartCharge aims to enroll 6,600 EV drivers annually—approximately 5% of the 135,000 EVs in CPA’s service territory. By 2045, the number of EVs in the region is projected to exceed 1.46 million, making managed charging programs like EV SmartCharge essential to the future of California’s grid.

Empowering Drivers with Seamless, Rewarding EV Charging

Through EV SmartCharge, CPA aims to shift EV charging to off-peak hours, reducing grid strain during high-demand periods. This will help CPA customers save money on their electric bills while supporting the state’s clean energy transition.

The program offers several incentives to help drivers save money while charging their vehicles at home. By enrolling, drivers can earn up to $160 in incentives in their first year, in addition to an average of $100 annually in electricity bill savings. 

Program Highlights:

• CAISO pricing alignment: The program incorporates California ISO Day-Ahead Market pricing signals, optimizing the alignment of EV charging with low-cost, low-carbon energy procurement periods and supporting CPA’s mission to combat the duck curve (the difference between electricity demand and renewable energy production — mostly from solar — throughout the day).
• Effortless setup for drivers: Participants simply register online, download the ev.energy app, connect their vehicle or charger, and set their preferences. Charging is then managed automatically in the background to align the EV charging load with times of high renewable energy generation.
• Equitable enrollment options: EV SmartCharge information is available to customers in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese, and connects with an extensive list of vehicles and chargers, ensuring accessibility for CPA’s diverse customer base and supporting broad enrollment.

“Clean Power Alliance is committed to advancing sustainable energy solutions that benefit our customers and California by helping increase power reliability of the grid. The EV SmartCharge program is an outcome of that commitment, offering our customers a simple way to participate in clean energy use, save money on their bills, and reduce grid strain during peak hours of energy demand,” said Joanne O’Neill, CPA’s Director of Customer Programs.  “By making it easy for drivers to optimize their charging, we’re supporting the growth of EV adoption and building a more resilient energy future for our region.”

CPA is leveraging funds from the California Energy Commission’s REDWDS grant to make cleaner EV charging more affordable to residents in their service territory. Through REDWDS, ev.energy and its utility and CCA partners — including CPA — will scale managed charging to 300,000 Californians by the end of 2027. With a strong focus on dynamic rates and supporting disadvantaged communities, the initiative showcases how managed EV charging can bolster grid reliability while driving down energy costs for consumers. 

“Partnering with Clean Power Alliance on this innovative program is an exciting opportunity to extend the benefits of managed EV charging to even more drivers in California. We are thrilled to help CPA deliver a program that not only supports their customers but also strengthens grid resilience in one of the most EV-dense regions in the country, with a specific focus on making programs accessible to everyone” said Kate Merson, Director of Client Solutions at ev.energy.

Driving California’s Clean Energy Mission Forward

"With EV adoption accelerating across California, an estimated 8% of the state’s EVs are in CPA’s service territory, programs like EV SmartCharge are increasingly vital to achieving California’s energy and climate goals," said Addie Melvin, Senior Client Solutions Manager for North America at ev.energy. "By reducing peak load and shifting demand to off-peak hours, this program not only optimizes grid performance but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and enhances the customer experience."

‍CPA customers can save money on their electric bills and take control with personalized EV charging at home. Learn more and apply at   www.cleanpoweralliance.org/evsmartcharge/. For more information about ev.energy’s managed EV charging solutions, visit https://www.ev.energy/.

About Clean Power Alliance

‍Clean Power Alliance is the locally operated not-for-profit electricity provider for 33 cities across Los Angeles County and Ventura County, as well as the unincorporated areas of both counties. CPA is the fourth largest electricity provider in California and the number one green power provider in the United States. CPA provides clean renewable energy at competitive rates for approximately three million residents and businesses, along with innovative programs that promote resiliency, electrification, and customer bill savings.

To view CPA’s most recent Impact Report, click here. Learn more about CPA at www.cleanpoweralliance.org.  

‍Media contact: 

‍John Axtell

jaxtell@cleanpoweralliance.org

‍About ev.energy

‍ev.energy is a Certified B Corporation® with a mission to make EV charging greener, cheaper, and smarter for utilities and their customers. Its end-to-end software platform wirelessly connects to electric vehicles and chargers to intelligently manage EV charging while working with utilities to put cash back in customers’ wallets for charging at grid-friendly times. With a global base of utility, vehicle OEM, and EVSE partners, ev.energy manages more than 200,000 EVs on its platform each day. Learn more at https://www.ev.energy/. 

‍Media contact:
James Pratley
press@ev.energy