Eaton Corporation, a producer of electrical components and systems, has received a grant of $1.84m from the US Department of Energy (DoE) to develop and demonstrate more commercial electric vehicle (EV) chargers.
The grant is part of a federal research and development program to minimize the current costs of EV chargers by 50% over the next three years and to support the adoption and deployment of EVs.
The company said that the project will promote smart charging technology that manages the efficiency, availability and reliability of power, during peak times.
Eaton business unit manager of electrical transportation infrastructure John Wirtz said that smart charging technology will provide more options to consumers and strengthen the charging infrastructure and the electric grid.
"By providing real-time monitoring and reporting, Eaton's participation in this project will help EV fleet managers, businesses and power companies to increase system uptime, reduce energy costs and maximize the reliability of their chargers," Wirtz said.
Two of the four selected projects receiving federal funding will focus on improving residential EV chargers, while the other two, including Eaton's, will focus on alternating current (AC) Level 2 charging stations.
The Level 2 charging stations will be used at commercial and public locations to charge large numbers of vehicles, such as commercial fleets of delivery vehicles.
