The system is broken.

Buildings have a finite amount of power, they can only tap into so much until they reach capacity. Most buildings today are nearing that capacity or have already reached it, meaning no new large electronics can be added without costly upgrades. This is growing problem and one that’s especially troubling in large urbanized areas.

Without the ability to add more electronics to any given building, EV growth is held stagnant. Potential drivers are turned away by the simple fact of not having a convenient place to charge. Over 20 million EVs are projected on the road by 2020 and only having a handful of charging stations is not realistic as many big cities are already feeling the crunch. This problem already affects New York City, prompting Tesla to build out massive amounts of new infrastructure.

However, this is only a temporary solution, as the market continues to grow more and more chargers will need to be installed, many of which will go into buildings that can only hold a few without hitting capacity.

The problem is more than infrastructure

While adding more infrastructure can solve the issue, it should not be the solution. Not only are these upgrades incredibly cost prohibitive they do not address the underlying issue. The grid, at some point, cannot continually allow larger pulls from the system. When this happens cities begin to face the real possibility of rolling blackouts or worse.

Compounding problems is this does not future-proof the building for even greater amounts of power draw. Putting the building into a never ending cycle of expensive upgrades. As time goes on and the dependency for power continues to grow, the solution of adding more and more power doesn’t scale.

How is the problem fixed?

Buildings need a way to tap into the grid without adding tens of thousands in new infrastructure, while still future-proofing themselves for even more EVs in the coming years. Constantly tapping into new power sources is putting a band-aid on a major wound, it simply doesn’t make sense.

What does make sense is giving every building the ability to intelligently allocate power as its needed. Instead of every charging station drawing power regardless if it's plugged in or not, the system can move that power around freely. This solution not only saves many buildings from adding expensive and, in some cases, unnecessary upgrades, but also expands the capacity for the future.

Smart technology is here to stay and if your company or building isn’t using it, you’re suffering from a major disadvantage.