Load shifting is a demand-side management strategy that moves planned electricity consumption from one period to another, usually from periods of high demand or high price to periods of lower demand or lower price. Its purpose is to change when energy is consumed rather than reduce the amount required.
In EV charging, load shifting uses smart charging to change when a vehicle charges. The goal is to deliver the energy the vehicle needs within the time it is connected, while taking advantage of more suitable charging periods.
How load shifting works in EV charging
An EV does not always need to begin charging as soon as it is plugged in. At homes, workplaces, fleet depots and destination charging sites, vehicles may remain connected for several hours while needing much less time to reach their required charge level.
That creates a window in which charging can be moved. For example, a vehicle may be plugged in at 6 pm but not needed until 7 am. Instead of charging immediately during the evening peak, a smart charging system can schedule some or all of the session for cheaper overnight hours.
Load shifting often moves EV charging into off-peak periods, but it can also respond to dynamic electricity prices, grid conditions or other energy signals. Charging may be delayed, slowed or paused during less suitable periods and increased when conditions improve.
The charging schedule may respond to:
- fixed time-of-use electricity tariffs;
- variable or dynamic electricity prices, such as day-ahead market prices from Nord Pool or a dynamic supplier tariff like Octopus Agile, where the relevant price integration is available.
- periods of high or low grid demand;
- the availability of renewable electricity;
- the vehicle’s required departure time and energy target.
Load shifting does not necessarily mean that less energy is delivered. Its purpose is to change the timing of the planned consumption rather than remove it. The vehicle must still receive enough energy before it is needed.
Why load shifting matters to charging operators
Electricity prices can vary by hour or by predefined tariff period. Moving flexible charging into lower-priced windows can reduce the cost of delivering the same planned amount of energy.
The potential benefit can grow at sites with many vehicles, particularly when operators have enough parking time to schedule substantial amounts of charging across lower-priced periods.
Load shifting can also reduce the overlap between EV charging and wider periods of high electricity demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) notes that unmanaged charging that coincides with peak consumption can increase power-system costs, while managed charging can turn EV demand into a source of flexibility. Charging can also be coordinated with periods of renewable electricity generation when the necessary signals and controls are available.
However, load shifting does not by itself guarantee that a site will remain below its electrical capacity. That requires a power limit or a system such as dynamic load management. Load shifting decides when charging should happen; dynamic load management determines how available power is divided between active sessions.
How AMPECO supports load shifting
AMPECO’s smart charging capabilities can schedule charging and use market or tariff signals to shift charging times. Its platform can also combine charging schedules with dynamic load management so that sessions remain within the available circuit capacity.
AMPECO’s optimized charging for time-of-use tariffs shifts charging toward lower-rate periods where possible while considering circuit limits and each vehicle’s departure time. This allows operators to pursue lower energy costs without ignoring when vehicles need to be ready.
The exact schedule depends on the information available to the platform, the operator’s tariff and charging rules, and the amount of flexibility within each vehicle’s connection window.
Related terms
- Smart charging and dynamic load management: how an EV charging platform executes load shifting and keeps it inside the site’s capacity.
- Demand response and energy flexibility: the grid programs and the broader capability load shifting contributes to.
- Vehicle-to-grid (V2G): the next step beyond shifting, where a vehicle discharges back to the grid.
FAQs
What is load shifting?
Load shifting is a demand-side management strategy that moves electricity use from high-demand or high-price periods to low-demand or low-price periods, without reducing the total amount of energy consumed. The same work gets done, just at a cheaper or less congested time. EV charging is one of the most shiftable loads because vehicles often sit plugged in far longer than they need to charge.
What is the difference between load shifting and peak shaving?
Load shifting moves energy consumption in time, rescheduling when kilowatt-hours are drawn to hit cheaper hours. Peak shaving reduces the highest power level (kW) a site draws at any instant, usually by curtailing load or discharging a battery during a spike. Load shifting targets energy charges; peak shaving targets demand charges.
What is the difference between load shifting and load shedding?
Load shifting keeps total energy consumption the same and simply moves it to a different time. Load shedding reduces consumption outright by curtailing or pausing load, so less energy is delivered than originally planned. Shifting is about timing; shedding is about reduction.
How does load shifting save money?
Electricity prices vary across the day. By concentrating charging in low-price windows, off-peak overnight hours, or periods when day-ahead market prices dip, an operator pays less for the same kilowatt-hours. On larger sites, shifting also spreads demand so the site stays within its grid connection, avoiding a costly capacity upgrade.
What is an example of load shifting in EV charging?
A fleet depot plugs in its vans at 6pm but does not need them until 7 am. Instead of charging them all immediately at the evening price peak, the platform schedules charging into the cheapest overnight hours while still guaranteeing every van is full by 7 am. The energy delivered is identical, only the timing changes.
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