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

  • BOMAG is offering a high performance soil compactor
    January 6, 2017
    BOMAG is offering new soil compacting solutions for the 4-8tonne class with the BW177D-5 being the first of this improved range. Weighing in at 6.7tonnes, the machine has a 55.4kW diesel and Friedrich Knoche, a product manager for the soil compactors said, “These machines are totally new and they have Tier 4 Final engines. There are two versions, the DH with better gradeability and the D, which is the standard model.”
  • New Holland adds telematics option
    January 6, 2017
    New Holland’s FleetForce telematics system allows fleet managers to monitor the location and usage of each machine, set geo-fencing, curfews and other alerts to detect unauthorised movement, optimise maintenance and simplify back office administration. The system can be specified on a range of products to map the location of each machine and monitor the engine load, fuel consumption, idling times, running hours and other parameters. It can identify under- or over-used items and enable fleet managers to comp
  • New Holland adds telematics option
    April 18, 2013
    New Holland’s FleetForce telematics system allows fleet managers to monitor the location and usage of each machine, set geo-fencing, curfews and other alerts to detect unauthorised movement, optimise maintenance and simplify back office administration. The system can be specified on a range of products to map the location of each machine and monitor the engine load, fuel consumption, idling times, running hours and other parameters. It can identify under- or over-used items and enable fleet managers to comp
  • Komatsu reveals PC240 and PC290 excavators at INTERMAT
    January 6, 2017
    Komatsu has revealed two new mid-sized excavators – the PC240LC-10 and PC290LC-10. Komatsu’s Dash 10 excavators are said to bring improved efficiency, lower fuel consumption, better operator comfort and lower operating costs to market. And the two new Dash 10 models include the 26tonne PC240LC-10 and 31.9tonne PC290LC-10.