UK's ev.energy gets $41 million California EV smart charging grant

British EV smart charging software company ev.energy said on Wednesday it had secured a $41 million grant from California to roll out affordable smart charging programmes for poorer communities and help balance the states energy grid.Under the grant, part of the California Energy Commissions (CEC) "Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals" (REDWDS) programme, ev.energy will from April start rolling out subsidised services to around 275,000 Californians.The programme allows EV owners to charge up their vehicles during off-peak times when electricity is cheapest, easing strain on the grid. "The grid can get very stressed and the utilities have been really worried about all these electric vehicles charging at peak times and exacerbating all of the issues Californias energy system faces," ev.energy CEO Nick Woolley told Reuters.