The University of Wisconsin–Madison Optimizes Charging Station Locations

With strong local roots and a commitment to protecting the environment while providing affordable, reliable energy, Madison Gas and Electric turned to Sawatch Labs to conduct a fleet study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The study lasted about six months and focused on monitoring vehicle usage to project charging demand to inform a strategy for placing electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE).

The Challenge: Plan EV Infrastructure for Campus Fleet

To meet sustainability needs, the University of Wisconsin–Madison expressed a desire to improve the adoption of electric vehicles. A large hurdle in the path to electrifying a fleet is installing the correct charging infrastructure. The number of charging stations, as well as their locations, need to be thoroughly planned to optimize efficiency and reduce the total number of installations needed. The sprawling campus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is nearly 1,000 acres, so planning adequate EV charging infrastructure would require accurate EV analytics.

Our Solution: Track Vehicle Usage with ezIO

The fleet at the University of Wisconsin-Madison includes a mix of minivans, sedans, UTVs, SUVs, and pickup trucks. The vehicles included in the study are all light duty, and they operate generally within the campus borders, except for two research facilities located offsite.

Over the course of several months, Sawatch Labs monitored the fleet using our ezIO software. This allowed us to gather useful, high-fidelity data on every study vehicle in the fleet. With this robust data our team determined:

• Vehicles suited for EV replacement

• Daily charging and demand curves

• Opportunities for managed charging

• Expected periods of peak demand

• Zones where charging stations will be needed 

The Results: Identified 12 Potential EVSE Sites on Campus

Thanks to Sawatch Labs’ ezIO software, the University of Wisconsin–Madison will be able to accurately implement an EV charging plan. The vehicles used in the study were high-utilization and lower mileage, which provided an excellent use case for our data collection strategy and methodology. We captured fleet optimization data, such as idle times, and accounted for the associated energy use, as well as how energy usage affected the electric fleet’s total cost of ownership.

Using ezIO, as well as specific dwell/domicile locations, Sawatch Labs provided EVSE siting guidance with recommendations for location consolidation. This information will help to optimize installation and minimize the port-to-vehicle ratios.

All in all, Sawatch Labs helped the University of Wisconsin–Madison identify 12 potential EVSE sites on campus. The resulting infrastructure improvement will enable the university’s Transportation Services department contribute to local and national sustainability initiatives while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the addition of 12 newly identified sites, the total number of EVSE sites on campus may rise to 36, and the lifetime GHG emissions savings is projected to exceed 475 tons.