There is some talk about virtual energy providers that could agregate a large number of home users, receive an availability fee and only physically discharge du

There is some talk about virtual energy providers that could agregate a large number of home users, receive an availability fee and only physically discharge during emergencies; that could work out economically and allow owners a positive revenue after depreciation, that could translate, for example, in lower prices for energy. That being said, I still think the whole fixed costs of the scheme (smart bidirectional meters, EV and charger support, coordination and administration costs etc.) would make it a money-losing proposal. A nice idea in theory, like say IP multicasting, but that cannot be made to work effectively in the real world. The benefits of delayed charging are limited by the electric consumption of the transport sector. For an average family driving no more than 800 miles/month at 4 miles/kWh it works out less than 200kWh/month. If half of that charge is time flexible (with the rest being achieved at fastchargers or when the owner is in a hurry etc.), you get a 100 kWh/month dynamic load, a sizeable yet small fraction of the total household consumption. I would earmark that under smart-grid approaches, if correct pricing incentives are set at the meter it will happen automatically and not just for the EV charging loads.