Cummins Microgrids for EV Charging Promise Lower Costs and Reliable Uptime
Cummins is marketing customized microgrid solutions that combine generators, batteries, solar, and chargers to power electric fleets cost-effectively and independently from the grid.
- 1919
- 2.8 billion
- 33.7 billion
- 2025
What Happened
Cummins offers microgrids for EV charging that integrate generators, battery storage, solar, and chargers to provide reliable, cost-effective power for electric fleets. The systems can operate independently or in parallel with the utility grid, and include cloud-connected software for monitoring and control.
“Compare your spark spread, essentially your cost of natural gas, versus your cost of electricity. What's my cost of generating electricity with a gas generator, versus paying the utility company? A lot cheaper.”
“When the vehicles come back at midday, prime power costs are pretty high. If they can come back and use a microgrid with a generator to charge, their fuel cost is going to be a lot less. I think, over time, microgrids are going to be critical because you're going to see a shift in when your peak demand is going to be.”
Why this matters
Microgrids enable businesses to charge electric vehicles without relying solely on the utility grid, reducing energy costs during peak demand and ensuring uptime even during outages.
Terms in This Story
- Microgrid
- A localized group of electricity sources and loads that can operate independently from the main grid.
- Spark spread
- The difference between the cost of natural gas and the market price of electricity generated from that gas.
- BESS
- Battery energy storage system, used to store electricity for later use.
- Level 2/Level 3 charger
- Level 2 chargers supply 240V AC for slower charging; Level 3 (DC fast chargers) provide high-power DC for rapid charging.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.