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

  • Kohler gears up for sustainable power growth in 150th year 
    October 28, 2022
    US off-road engine manufacturer Kohler has recently completed a 155,000m² expansion of its North American manufacturing facility in Mosel, Wisconsin ahead of its 150th year in business in 2023.
  • Dynapac is offering new pavers to meet future emissions requirements
    January 6, 2017
    Dynapac continues to innovate with its paver range, following from previous developments in 2010 and 2011. The firm says it is now improving the operator´s environment and transport sizes, as well as gearing up to meeting future exhaust emission regulations. The firm introduced six new tracked asphalt pavers with paving widths of 2-14m. Of these, the four sophisticated PLC-controlled pavers SD2500 C / SD2500 CS / SD2550 C / SD2550 CS are designed to meet the needs of contractors, communities and rental comp
  • Dynapac is offering new pavers to meet future emissions requirements
    April 12, 2012
    Dynapac continues to innovate with its paver range, following from previous developments in 2010 and 2011. The firm says it is now improving the operator´s environment and transport sizes, as well as gearing up to meeting future exhaust emission regulations. The firm introduced six new tracked asphalt pavers with paving widths of 2-14m. Of these, the four sophisticated PLC-controlled pavers SD2500 C / SD2500 CS / SD2550 C / SD2550 CS are designed to meet the needs of contractors, communities and rental comp
  • JCB’s new VM117D makes North America debut
    January 6, 2017
    JCB’s stylish new soil compactor - the VM117D – has made its North American market debut at Conexpo 2014. With an 11tonne operating weight and equipped with JCB’s 93kW Tier 4 Interim Ecomax engine, said to deliver a 10% fuel saving, the single-drum VM117D can be used for a wide range of work in infrastructure and housing projects. It has a smooth drum as standard with pad foot drums as an option. “We’ve improved the compaction criteria, including amplitude, frequency, centrifugal force, static linear lo