Demand and Sustainability Analysis for A Level-3 Charging Station on the U.S. Highway Based on Actual Smart Meter Data

Over the next five years, the U.S. will deploy DC fast charging stations along its interstate highway system under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program. The large-scale deployment of NEVI charging stations will significantly increase charging demand, posing challenges to power systems. Thus, understanding the charging demand characteristics of existing NEVI-compliant stations is crucial. However, limited access to smart meter data and few compliant stations make existing studies insufficient for NEVI research. This article presents a thorough analysis of an existing NEVI-compliant Level-3 DC charging station's power demand, located on the U.S. interstate highway in the Northern High Plains. The real 15-minute smart meter data was examined to evaluate the station's power consumption and demand characteristics across various time intervals and holidays. The station's unique location enables accurate representation of EV charging patterns for highway travel in the northern high plains throughout the year. Additionally, the study investigates the station's sustainability by assessing local solar generation potential and offers preliminary results for the future carbon market. This research provides a detailed guide on examining EV charging station power demand and consumption characteristics on the U.S. interstate highway using smart meter data, ultimately assisting the power industry in facilitating the NEVI formula program deployment.