The next episode of Indium Corporation’s free webcast series, EV InSIDER Live, will address the question of whether the U.S.’ regional grids will be able to support the anticipated growth in demand and load following the projected surge in electric vehicle ownership in 2030.

The free webcast will be held on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 11:30 a.m. New York time.

With the number of EVs on the road in the U.S. expected to reach nearly 40 million in 2030 from roughly 2.7 million today, several questions have emerged around whether our regional grids will be able to support this growth in demand and load.

In California, for example, modeling from the Energy Innovation Policy & Technology research firm shows electricity demand could grow 18% from 2020 levels by 2030, as vehicles and buildings electrify. But because EVs are essentially storage batteries on wheels and most passenger vehicles sit parked 22 or more hours per day, they have the huge potential to help stabilize the grid rather than bring it down.

In the webcast, Managed Charging and Vehicle-to-Grid: Reality or a Distant Dream?, Apoorv Bhargava, expert on the grid and EVs and CEO/co-founder of WeaveGrid, a software company that builds data products to enable increased adoption of electric vehicles, will share his thoughts on how the role of emerging techniques such as managed charging, vehicle-to-grid, and vehicle-to-home will play out this decade.

Co-hosted by Indium Corporation’s global head of e-Mobility and infrastructure, Brian O’Leary, and Loren McDonald, they will dive into key topics with Bhargava, including:

• What we learned about EVs and the grid from the recent threat of blackouts in California.

• The role of managed charging as a key tool in utilities’ toolbox to minimize the load impact of EVs during high demand times of the day.

• The promise of vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-home, and vehicle-to-building to feed power to the grid or minimize the need for additional power generation.

Apoorv Bhargava is the co-founder and CEO of WeaveGrid, a San Francisco-based venture backed startup that uses machine learning to help utilities predict and manage large spikes in power demand from electric vehicle charging to balance renewable energy production and reduce costly upgrades to the grid. Bhargava has focused on climate and energy his whole career, having previously worked at Opower and The Boston Consulting Group in their energy practice. He has also spent time at NRG Energy, Joby Aviation, and The Capricorn Investment Group, where he was focused on cleantech investing. Bhargava holds an MBA and a Master’s of Science degree in Environment & Resources from Stanford. He graduated from Rice University with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a B.A. in Economics. In 2019, Bhargava was featured on both the GreenBiz and Forbes “30 Under 30” lists in the Energy sector for his work on WeaveGrid.

About EV InSIDER Live

EV InSIDER Live is a webcast series, co-hosted by Brian O’Leary and Loren McDonald, which sheds light on the most pressing issues from across the dynamic and rapidly evolving electric vehicle landscape. Conducted in an approachable, conversational format suitable for business executives, casual observers, and seasoned engineers alike, each episode features a high-profile guest from the EV industry.

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