With the rise in oil prices, pure electric and hybrid vehicles will account for 15% of the automotive market by 2020. This means that after people drive home, they need to charge the car at the same time for use the next day.

The centralized electricity demand will cause the power supply of the regional power grid to be tight and even cause voltage fluctuations. In order to guide electric vehicle owners to avoid charging at peak times, some power companies set off charging rates for off-peak electric vehicles.

Off-peak tariffs are intended to attract people to use electric appliances such as washing machines during periods of low electricity usage. The difference between electric cars and washing machines is that the above approach cannot meet the needs of electric cars. Due to the different capacities of car batteries, charging speeds, and battery chemical reaction processes, the power demand of various brands of cars will vary greatly. Compared with traditional rechargeable batteries, the fast charging system under development will occupy a larger capacity of the local power grid.

Erickson of Southampton University, England? Dr. Alex Rogers and his colleagues are developing computer programs that can perform complex calculations instead of vehicle owners. They will negotiate with electric companies on behalf of electric vehicle owners to use the most efficient method to charge electric vehicles locally. The only thing the car owner needs to do is to start the system during charging at night, enter the approximate mileage to be used after charging, and the computer program will automatically start consultation with the local electric vehicle charging point. The program uses optimization theory, which allows the owner to pay the lowest price for this, and allows the grid to run smoothly.