Dive Brief:
- Eight automakers, Sumitomo Electric and a host of electric companies have completed a test that showed the potential of electric vehicles to respond to signals to cease and restart charging.
- USA Today reports the test was successfully completed last week at Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Customer Service Center in California. Automakers say it shows how to solve one of the biggest concerns with electric vehicles—how to keep them from overloading the grid.
- The software used can provide information to adjust plug-in electric vehicle charging loads up and down to accommodate the intermittent availability of renewable energy sources, according to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
Dive Insight:
“This demonstration represents a major milestone that meets the needs of utilities and equipment manufacturers while simultaneously benefiting electric vehicle owners and electricity users,” said Dan Bowermaster, manager of EPRI's Electric Transportation Program.
Auto manufacturers involved in the test include Ford Motor Co., American Honda Motor Co., BMW Group, Chrysler Group, General Motors Co., Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America Inc., Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc.
USA Today contacted John Cangany, Ford's sustainability communications manager, who said via email that the test "showed the vehicles responding to a request from the grid to stop charging and then responding to another request to start charging again."
Uilities and regional transmission organizations participating included DTE Energy Co., Duke Energy, PJM Interconnection LLC, CenterPoint Energy Inc., Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Southern Co., Northeast Utilities, Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, San Diego Gas & Electric, Commonwealth Edison, TVA, Manitoba Hydro, Austin Energy, ConEdison and CPS Energy.
