Ford Reveals All-Electric Explorer SUV For The European Market

More

New Kia Concept EV5 previews all-electric SUV for Chinese market

More

The Volkswagen ID. 2all previews sub-25,000 euros electric car

More

The Kia EV9 all-electric SUV revealed

More

Truemag

  • Electric Car News
  • Electric Car Reviews
  • Plug-in Hybrids
  • Technology
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Charging Map

Electric Cars Disrupt Grid Less Than Expected

Model-S-ChargingAs electric car sales rev up, there are concerns that more battery-powered and plug-in hybrid cars might disrupt the nation’s power grids.

If a large number of electric cars in close proximity plug in at peak times — like after work on a hot summer’s day — it could prompt a power surge and overwhelm the local transformer.

But a new report by the Texas-based Pecan Street Research Institute finds there may be little to fear, at least in the near term.

In a study of car charging in a neighborhood with one of the highest residential concentrations of electric cars in the country, researchers found that owners are charging their EVs much less during hot summer afternoons than most behavioral models predicted.

“EV drivers are distributing when they charge much more than was assumed in models,” said Brewster McCracken, CEO of Pecan Street. “This could have a pretty dramatic impact on what the projections are for how many EVs a utility could manage in a particular area.”

The report analyzed charging behavior at 30 homes in Austin, Texas, between June 1 and Aug. 21, when electric grids are often already stressed by air conditioning loads. The surveyed cars consisted of 21 Chevrolet Volts, nine Nissan Leafs and one Tesla Model S. Fifteen of the surveyed homes also participated in a research trial examining the effects of time-of-use energy pricing.

Among the drivers who were not part of the pricing trial, only 22 percent of their EV charging on weekdays was during the peak demand hours of 3 to 7 p.m. Among EV drivers who were part of the pricing trial, just 12 percent charged during peak demand hours.

Fuel bill = $23.56 a month

“It’s premature to say that the price and the pricing trial caused people to shift charging,” McCracken said. “What we can say is that the people in the pricing trial were charging even less during peak summer hours than people not in the pricing trial. That certainly suggests that price can be a powerful influence in shifting the time of charging.”

The study found that telematics, or wireless communications systems, are key enablers of time-of-use charging. The OnStar system for Volts and CarWings system for Leafs allow for the exchange of information between cars and the grid so that drivers can select cheaper, off-peak times to charge.

For all participants, the average weekday charge duration was just under two hours. Pecan Street determined that the average monthly electricity cost for EV charging, normalized over a 30-day period, was $23.56.

“How many people can run their gasoline cars for $23 a month? Because that’s what’s effectively happening,” McCracken said.

According to Mark Duvall, director of electric transportation at the Electric Power Research Institute, an EV could increase the electricity demand at a single home by as much as 20 percent. But in nearly every case to date, the grid has been able to accommodate that increase or utilities have quickly found a way to do so, he said.

Storage batteries that help the grid?

“When everyone got air conditioning, we served the load. You serve the load no matter what,” Duvall said.

According to representatives at Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which serves large EV populations, a grid service check is conducted every time a customer purchases an EV to ensure there’s enough power to charge it. Out of the 10,000 checks, only 12 local grids have had to be upgraded.

A recent report by Southern California Edison Co. found that less than 1 percent of transformer upgrades are directly attributable to plug-in cars. But the report also noted that as an increasing number of pure-electric cars with higher charging capabilities come online, it could have implications for grid reliability.

On the other side of the coin, the advent of telematic communications and smart grid technologies could turn EVs into an energy storage asset. As the power grid modernizes, opportunities for EVs to participate in demand response will grow and potentially save both utilities and consumers money.

“Can cars act as storage? Yes, they can,” Duvall said. But the extent to which they will in practice “remains to be seen.”

[source: Pecan Street Research Institute]
Oct 29, 2013Blagojce Krivevski
Air Liquide Inks Deal with Toyota on Hydrogen Filling StationsConsumer Reports Officially Recommended Tesla Model S
You Might Also Like
 
Royal Mail adds 87 EVs to its fleet, inks EDF EV deal
 
Four Networks Maintain Over 60% of 22,343 Level 2 and DC Fast Charging Stations
Blagojce Krivevski

Blagojce Krivevski is physicist and green technology lover. Keep in touch with Blagojce through his email, web site, Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Google+.

October 29, 2013 Electric Car Newscharging, electric car, Electric Car Charging, electric cars, EV Charging
Follow Us
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • google-news
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • instagram
  • rss
Recent News
Design details of the all-new smart #3 unveiled ahead of Shanghai debut
March 27, 2023
Fisker Ocean Extreme achieves a combined WLTP range of up to 707 km, exceeding previous estimates
March 27, 2023
All-electric Porsche Cayenne to be built in Bratislava
March 27, 2023
Pininfarina involved in the design of Izera electric cars
March 27, 2023
Aptera Motors Receives First Fleet Order from SustainabilitySooner
March 26, 2023
About
ElectricCarsReport.com ElectricCarsReport.com is a website dedicated to pure electric vehicles and the full range of consumer information and tools about electric cars, green technology energy, and the environment.
Latest News
Design details of the all-new smart #3 unveiled ahead of Shanghai debut
March 27, 2023
Fisker Ocean Extreme achieves a combined WLTP range of up to 707 km, exceeding previous estimates
March 27, 2023
All-electric Porsche Cayenne to be built in Bratislava
March 27, 2023
Get in touch

Email: [email protected]

Get new stories by email:
Archives
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • google-news
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • instagram
  • rss
DMCA.com
© ElectricCarsReport.com | All Rights Reserved.