Skip to main content

EV tests to optimise their performance with power grids

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have released a technical report that could help improve the performance of electric vehicles (EVs) and the efficiency of the electric utility grids that power them.The report documents a series of test procedures designed to enable engineers, designers and utilities to evaluate the performance of various EVs and hybrids to optimise how they connect with electric utility grids today - and "smart grids" in the future.
April 26, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Researchers at the 5275 US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have released a technical report that could help improve the performance of electric vehicles (EVs) and the efficiency of the electric utility grids that power them.

The report documents a series of test procedures designed to enable engineers, designers and utilities to evaluate the performance of various EVs and hybrids to optimise how they connect with electric utility grids today – and “smart grids” in the future. As more vehicles with large batteries come into use and smart grid technology advances, grid operators in the future may be able to take advantage of the two-way flow of power from EVs and hybrids plugged into utility grids to smooth spikes in demand and improve the reliability of their systems. Evaluating today’s vehicle technologies will advance the goal of transforming the nation’s transportation system to maximize efficiency and use of clean energy.

Engineering vehicles capable of interconnecting to the power system for bi-directional power flow is a key component of emerging “vehicle-to-grid” systems, in which plug-in EVs communicate with the power grid to deliver electricity or modulate their charging rates. The global vehicle-to-grid (V2G) market is expected to grow at a rapid pace, reaching the US$2.25 billion mark in 2012 and accelerating to $40.4 billion by 2020, according to a new market analysis from GlobalData.

“This report offers the first nationally available set of test procedures for V2G applications,” NREL Director of Energy Systems Integration Ben Kroposki said. “Unleashing the potential of electric vehicles to optimise grid performance will be instrumental as the world moves to a smart grid with much higher use of renewables, energy storage and load control.

The NREL report, Interim Test Procedures for Evaluating Electrical Performance and Grid Integration of Vehicle-to-Grid Applications, is available at %$Linker: External 0 0 0 oLinkExternal this link Interim Test Procedures for Evaluating Electrical Performance and Grid Integration of Vehicle-to-Grid Applications false http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/51001.pdf. false false%>.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • JCB’s new soil compactors are faster and more frugal
    January 6, 2017
    JCB has introduced two new soil compactors; the VM117D and the VM137D with operating weights of 11tonnes and 12.2tonnes respectively. The single-drum vibratory compactors can be used for a wide range of work in infrastructure and housing projects and have a smooth drum as standard with pad foot drums as an option. They are powered by JCB’s 93kW Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim Ecomax engines, which meet the emissions target without using a DPF and are said to deliver fuel savings of 16%. Changes to the compaction
  • JCB’s new soil compactors are faster and more frugal
    April 16, 2013
    JCB has introduced two new soil compactors; the VM117D and the VM137D with operating weights of 11tonnes and 12.2tonnes respectively. The single-drum vibratory compactors can be used for a wide range of work in infrastructure and housing projects and have a smooth drum as standard with pad foot drums as an option. They are powered by JCB’s 93kW Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim Ecomax engines, which meet the emissions target without using a DPF and are said to deliver fuel savings of 16%. Changes to the compaction
  • Eberspaecher is now offering innovative air-conditioning technology
    January 6, 2017
    German heating and climate control equipment specialist Eberspaecher is offering new thermal management products for construction vehicles. The innovations include a new generation of operating elements as well as air outlets and the high performance Ebercool X-Treme roof top air conditioner. In addition, the company is showing an integrated heating and climate control module for the driver’s cab. Simple and robust, the new EasyStart Select features a straightforward design and this operating element for ai
  • Eberspaecher is now offering innovative air-conditioning technology
    March 27, 2013
    German heating and climate control equipment specialist Eberspaecher is offering new thermal management products for construction vehicles. The innovations include a new generation of operating elements as well as air outlets and the high performance Ebercool X-Treme roof top air conditioner. In addition, the company is showing an integrated heating and climate control module for the driver’s cab. Simple and robust, the new EasyStart Select features a straightforward design and this operating element for ai