Dive Summary:
- Duke Energy Director of Technology Development Mike Rowand is evaluating a "Plugless Power" EV charging system by Evatran that would allow electric car drivers to park their car over a target for automatic charging.
- In an interview with Forbes, Rowand said Duke Energy is still working out its long-term business model concerning plug-in vehicles—whether or not it's a fuel provider and if it provides charging infrastructure along with the electricity—and it is instituting pilot programs for in-home charging stations to understand patterns.
- Rowand says that electric vehicles themselves are a microcosm of the smart grid and notes that two employees are already testing installed Evatran Plugless Power systems, adding that the utility has seen above average plug-in vehicle adoption in its service area.
From the article:
... “Outside of California and Oregon, we are seeing above average adoption compared to others. We estimate we have between 1,500 and 2,000 plug-in vehicles on our system. Areas such as the Triangle area around Raleigh, N.C., have many early adopters, but we are also seeing pockets like in Carmel, Indiana, where there is a history of industrial suppliers supporting the EV industry.” ...