GM announced last week that it is going to launch a small test fleet of Opel Mireva Vehicles to study the ability of vehicles to participate in the Vehicle-to-Grid technology.
The vehicle uses a Volt-sized 16 kwh lithium-ion battery pack and an 80 kw electric motor. It has a maximum range of 40 miles and a 0 to 60 time of 11 seconds. The 400-V fast charger can refill the battery in 1 hour.
The V2G concept is that a battery or a hybrid vehicle can send power to the electric grid. This concept is still in testing phase.
I believe that this technology, if it comes to market, can be revolutionary in defining the demand response system. Imagine a battery powered or a hybrid vehicle being able to provide power to electric grids in response to peak load demands. The same vehicles could then be recharged during the ‘off-peak’ hours at cheaper rates and also utilize the excess night time power generation. The fact that an average vehicle is in the idle/parking state most of the time also adds value since that time could be used to exchange energy from the car to power grid and then back.
This technology, if it turns successful, will add one more interesting dimension to the evolving energy sector. Lets wait and watch
Interesting post. I think that V2G will take off as we see more EV's on the road. However at this point, power generated from Gas or fossil fuels is significantly more expensive than that generated by coal. So until consumer can reach some level of price parity they will be unwilling to plug in and have their expensive power drained in place of cheap energy.
ReplyDeleteI too think this is an interesting post and believe it will be a reality. In the case of consumer's willingness to provide electricity to the grid, I think one will be willing as long as the the priced received for the electricity provided is greater than the price paid to recharge the battery.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a step in the right direction for the auto industry and smart grid operators. A major hindrance for smart grid adoption has been efficient energy storage. Battery technology has been relatively lagging and I can see vehicles partly bridging that gap and being part of the solution.
ReplyDeleteA major reason why EnerNOC, a leading demand response company headquartered locally, and other similar companies have been reluctant to enter the residential market has been economies of scale. But as consumers realize the cost and environmental benefits of adopting technologies such as V2G a tipping point will soon be reached and demand response will become a part of our everyday lives.
Great post. It is going to be exciting to see how this turns out.