A project is underway that can revolutionize how electric vehicle (EV) charging stations withstand power outages.

Since joining Iowa State in 2015, Zhaoyu Wang has focused on power distribution, system resilience and microgrids. In the first half of 2024, as the lead principal investigator, he received four major Department of Energy (DOE) grants totaling more than $15 million in federal dollars. 

One of Wang’s latest initiatives, the Resilience Evaluation and Enhancement of Charging Stations with Hierarchical Adaptive Restoration of Grids and Distributed Energy Resources (RECHARGE) project, has received $1.2 million in federal funding to increase the resilience of EV charging infrastructure.

The project also includes two co-principal Investigators at Iowa State: Anne Kimber, director of the Electric Power Research Center, and Ian Dobson, Sandbulte professor. 

The RECHARGE project aims to design resilience plans for EV chargers in three key regions: Ames, Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio. 

The primary goal is to evaluate the robustness of these stations during power outages in extreme events like storms, tornadoes and hurricanes, find ways to enhance their reliability and quickly recover. 

By using a resilience score system and interactive mapping tools, the team is identifying which stations are likely to go offline first and how to prioritize their restoration. 

“This effort is about more than keeping the stations operational, it’s about building a comprehensive model that quantifies outages, assesses resilience measures and applies data-driven strategies to enhance the performance of these stations,” Wang said.

“Our message to the public is that we are engineers solving real-world problems,” Wang said. “The EV charging stations we rely on will be more resilient thanks to this project.”

Resilience is measured through metrics such as outage probability and duration, and the project explores three key strategies for enhancing station resilience: mobile energy storage for backup power, on-site solar panels and storage for independent energy generation and connections to multiple power sources to ensure continuous operation. 

One of the most innovative aspects of RECHARGE is its use of distributed energy resources, such as solar panels, which allow the stations to function independently even when the larger grid is compromised. The project is data-intensive, using simulations and real-world performance tracking to build and refine resilience models. 

The funding for this project has allowed Wang to create a team of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and even undergraduate assistants. 

“We’re dealing with a real engineering problem using real data,” Wang said.

Wang added that the practical nature of the work sets it apart from purely theoretical scenarios, which provide valuable experiences for students.

The project has a partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, utilizing their existing Geographical Energy Mapper (GEM) that charts renewable energy resources across the U.S. By integrating the resilience score into this map, Wang’s team can save time and modify resilience plans.

“The collaboration with Argonne is invaluable,” Wang said. “Without their geographic tool, we would have to build our own from scratch, and that would significantly increase the amount of effort.”

The project also has strong industry support from Ames Municipal Utilities and AES, who will provide real data for resilience modeling. 

“The anticipated outcomes of the RECHARGE project have broad implications for both the public and the energy sector,” Wang said.  “The project’s resilience models, once completed, will provide a blueprint for keeping EV charging stations operational during power outages.”

Wang said the project is also critical in emergency situations when access to reliable energy is essential. The project’s findings and data will be made publicly available, offering a resource for future developments.

“This is research with an immediate benefit to the public,” Wang said. “Through our work, we aim to make a lasting impact on the reliability of electricity infrastructure, and this will directly benefit taxpayers’ lives.”

As the project moves forward, Wang and his team are focused on key milestones, including integrating their models into Argonne’s map and developing resilience enhancement plans. 

Looking ahead, the RECHARGE project has the potential to influence both scientific research and policy decisions regarding the future of EV infrastructure across the U.S.

With the backing of the DOE and the collaboration of national laboratories, the research is set to make a significant impact on the way we think about energy resilience in a technological world.