Making Fast EV Charging Work without Breaking the Grid

Speaker: Hasitha Dharmasiri of Electric Era Technologies Title: Making Fast EV Charging Work without Breaking the Grid Abstract: Electric Era Technologies develops and operates DC fast charging stations tailored for retail locations, integrating AC-coupled battery energy storage systems to overcome common grid constraints. Many sites have limited available power. A typical 4-charger installation can reserve up to 20% of a distribution substation’s capacity (often 5–15 MW total). Once installed, variable charging loads, driven by vehicle curves and utilization patterns, ultimately underutilize the reserved grid capacity. Expensive utility upgrades are frequently required to accommodate these loads. Electric Era’s closed-loop, real-time control system uses battery storage to shave peaks, enabling charging rates to actually and easily exceed the site’s physical grid connection capacity without impacting utility service or tripping breakers. The presentation includes a case study demonstrating advanced voltage regulation through volt-var optimization, where the battery system stabilizes a weak local grid by compensating for voltage changes during charging and load rejection events, enhancing overall grid reliability and accelerating deployment of high-power EV infrastructure. Bio: Hasitha “Sith” Dharmasiri is the Vice President of Software at Electric Era Technologies, a Seattle-based innovator in battery-backed DC fast charging infrastructure. He joined the company shortly after it was founded in 2019. Previously, he led the software team responsible for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network’s bus and gateway systems. Co-sponsored by: UW Seattle Speaker(s): Hasitha, Agenda: Speaker: Hasitha Dharmasiri of Electric Era Technologies Title: Making Fast EV Charging Work without Breaking the Grid Abstract: Electric Era Technologies develops and operates DC fast charging stations tailored for retail locations, integrating AC-coupled battery energy storage systems to overcome common grid constraints. Many sites have limited available power. A typical 4-charger installation can reserve up to 20% of a distribution substation’s capacity (often 5–15 MW total). Once installed, variable charging loads, driven by vehicle curves and utilization patterns, ultimately underutilize the reserved grid capacity. Expensive utility upgrades are frequently required to accommodate these loads. Electric Era’s closed-loop, real-time control system uses battery storage to shave peaks, enabling charging rates to actually and easily exceed the site’s physical grid connection capacity without impacting utility service or tripping breakers. The presentation includes a case study demonstrating advanced voltage regulation through volt-var optimization, where the battery system stabilizes a weak local grid by compensating for voltage changes during charging and load rejection events, enhancing overall grid reliability and accelerating deployment of high-power EV infrastructure. Bio: Hasitha “Sith” Dharmasiri is the Vice President of Software at Electric Era Technologies, a Seattle-based innovator in battery-backed DC fast charging infrastructure. He joined the company shortly after it was founded in 2019. Previously, he led the software team responsible for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network’s bus and gateway systems. seattle, Washington, United States