EV Charging Controller
Posted by Max Dunn Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:33:00 GMT
Electric utilities are are scared of plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles (EVs) – scared they will all plug-in to recharge after work on a hot summer day and bring down the grid.
As long as EVs are charged off-peak, there is more than enough power to charge about 160 million EVs without building any new power stations. Below is an outline of some of the ideas I have about making sure EVs don’t charge during peak times but instead, actually help the electric grid.
- Problem
- Peak Oil
- The biggest problem looming over the world today is peak oil
- Transportation Biggest Oil User
- Personal transportation uses 50% of all oil and not ready substitutes
- Moving transportation to electric will reduce oil usage and CO2
- EVs are coming
- Car companies already tooling up to produce EVs
- Electric services not ready
- There is plenty of electric power to charge at night
- Charging during peak times could overload the grid
- Charging two or more BEVs off of one neighborhood transformer could overload it (Fairley 2010)
- Solution
- Delay charging to off-peak
- Stagger neighborhood charging
- Alert utilities where upgrades are needed
- Where PV is present, charge during day
- Where wind is present, charge when wind is blowing (Fairley, 2010)
- Product
- Charging controller. Plugs into AC then car charger plugs into it. Controlled by computer program.
- Computer program
- User enters when they need car to be charged and how far they need to drive
- Figures out optimal time to charge based on:
- Avoiding peak times
- Electricity rates
- Staggering neighborhood charging
- Neighborhood PV
- Wind power
- Shows user
- Electricity used
- Cost of electricity
- Range currently available
- When EV will be fully charged
- Market
- Electrical utilities
- Will make sure that EVs don’t overload grid
- Will get feedback about EV locations in order to upgrade neighborhood transformers
- Will require that device be installed for all EV owners
- Will pay for device
- EV Users
- Save money on electricity
- Get information about usage
Reference: Fairley, P. (Jan 2010). Speed Bumps Ahead for Electric-Vehicle Charging: Plugging in cars, even overnight, will strain local grids and could boost pollution.
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And here is the outline of a talk I gave at the Presidio Entrepreneur Club on August 29th, 2009 about also extending it to vehicle-to-grid (V2G)
EV Electric Services- Electric utilities are scared of plug-in hybrids and EVs – scared they will all plug in 5pm and bring down the grid
- It is important to understand 3 things about electricity distribution:
- Summer peak power is very inefficient
- No electrical storage on the grid
- Electrical usage is twice as much during day but most people pay the same price
- Improvement for grid: Smart grid, TOD metering, night cost lower
- Idea: EV charging control: hardware box networked with computer control (Big Powerzoa)
- BENEFIT 1. Cost $500, saves $150/yr – simple payback 4 yrs
- BENEFIT 2: Peak control
- Give us control to stagger charging
- San Diego paying $125 yr for AC peak control
- BENEFIT 3. Coordinate with renewable output
- Colorado Wind blows at night sometimes power is wasted
- BENEFIT 4, put back power (V2G)
- EV regulation services, 4c kw-h, $2,500 yr
- Summary: This charging controller would save consumers money, prevent more power plants, make better use of renewables