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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

V2G System: Electric Vehicles With Bi-Directional Charging Capabilities!

I came across an interesting article today about electric vehicles that are capable of V2G bi-directional 

charging.  

What?  

That's what I said when I read it.  :00 So I decided to take a look at it.  Pretty cool stuff that appears to
getting closer to practical reality.

Here it is n a nutshell:

"Vehicle-to-grid or V2G is a system in which plug-in electric vehicles can communicate back and forth with the power grid in order to deliver electricity into the grid when it is needed and cut back their charging rate when it is scarce."

60kWs in BOTH directions!  That is a really quick charge for the vehicles, and also, with linked vehicles, it could really impact peak power problems by supplementing the grid.  Here are a couple of articles that explain it better than I ever could.  

Enjoy.  It is a Brave New World out there, folks!



Electric Truck Manufacturer Boulder Electric Vehicle Successfully Demonstrates Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Charging Across the Nation


6 minutes ago
PR Newswire
LOS ANGELESSept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Boulder Electric Vehicle has successfully demonstrated their Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) all electric trucks in three separate locations includingMichiganColorado and California.  The first full powered success transpired in Royal Oak, Michigan, on June 14, 2013.  With 60 kilowatts of power going in and coming out of the vehicles, Boulder EV reached a new milestone and became the 1st EV truck manufacturer in the world to successfully demonstrate V2G bi-directional charging.  "This first success happened in the labs of our EVSE partner Coritech Services.  When we finally saw the power going in and coming out at the maximum allowable amounts as per the J1772 DC Combo connector spec, we were all as giddy as school kids," said Boulder EV CEO Carter Brown.
The second major milestone came on July 25, 2013, in Ft. Carson, Colorado.  It was here that the US Army Corp of Engineers and the SPIDERS project signed off on verifying full charge and discharge of the vehicle at 60 kilowatts of power. "It is amazing that one of our chargers can fully charge a Boulder Electric Vehicle delivery truck in just over an hour," stated Coritech Services CEO Russ Ristau.
The third demonstration took place at Boulder Electric Vehicle'sLos Angeles plant on August 13, 2013.  The California Energy Commission awarded Boulder Electric Vehicle a $3 million grant from its Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program to support the opening of BEV's second plant, located in Los Angeles, CA.  The Energy Commission's grant manager toured the facility for a final inspection prior to production starting in January 2014.
Boulder Electric Vehicle's first V2G demonstrations outside the Coritech lab and the Department of Defense are happening in Los Angeles.  Boulder EV purchased a bi-directional DC charger from Coritech Services that will be solely used in their Los Angeles plant.  "We are greatly appreciative of all the help the City of Los Angeles and the State of California have given us," explained Brown.  Furthermore, Boulder EV has also extended an offer to provide on-site demonstrations of their vehicles performing real V2G bi-directional charging.
As of today Boulder Electric Vehicle is the only electric truck manufacturer in the world to demonstrate working vehicle-to-grid charging at 60 kilowatts of power outside of the SPIDERS project in Fort Carson, Colorado.  Boulder EV and Coritech Services will be providing demonstration units comprised of a charger and a truck to private utility companies beginning fall of this year.  Boulder EV will also be showcasing a V2G capable truck, alongside a Coritech DC quick charger, at the Plug-In 2013 Conference & Exposition in San Diego, CA.  The conference kicks off September 30th and runs through October 3rd.  For those interested in scheduling a demonstration of Boulder EV's trucks performing V2G charging with a Coritech EVSE please contact them directly to set up reservations.
For more information please contact:
Carter Brown, CEO
(303) 956-7527
carter@boulderev.com
Bryon Bliss, VP Sales
(909) 996-9462
bryon.bliss@boulderev.com
About Boulder Electric Vehicle Boulder Electric Vehicle is a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of viable medium and heavy duty electric trucks and vans. Currently manufacturing two models, the 500 Series and 1000 Series, these class 4 and class 5 vehicles have been successfully deployed with numerous fleets, all of whom are now realizing the economic and environmental benefits of going green with Boulder Electric Vehicle.
About Coritech Services IncCoritech Services has been providing integration solutions for over a decade.  Our manufacturing and industrial plant integration experience, combined with our group of highly skilled professionals, position Coritech Services as an industry leader in system integration. We provide a complete turnkey project with all departments in-house, allowing us to maintain exceptional quality from start to finish.
For more information please contact:
Russell Ristau:
(248) 549-3300
ristau@coritech.com

Related Links:100% Electric Zero Emission Trucks
Connect with Boulder Electric Vehicle Today
Image with caption: "Boulder EV is the 1st electric truck manufacturer to successfully demonstrate working vehicle-to-grid charging. The US Army Corp of Engineers and the SPIDERS project signed off on verifying full charge and discharge of the vehicle at 60 kilowatts of power." Image available at: (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130911/MM77673-b )
Image with caption: "Boulder EV is currently in production on four different models including a box truck, delivery van, flatbed work truck (shown here), and service body truck. Each model can be equipped with the V2G package." Image available at: (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130911/MM77673-a )
Image with caption: "Boulder EV is offering on-site demonstrations of their vehicles performing real V2G bi-directional charging." Image available at: (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130911/MM77673-c )
SOURCE Boulder Electric Vehicle






Vehicle-to-grid system could hold promise

5:16 PM, Jul. 23, 2013  |  1 Comments
  • FILED UNDER
As the number of electric and plug-in hybrid cars starts to increase, people are thinking about ways to make use of a new potential power resource. Vehicle-to-grid or V2G is a system in which plug-in electric vehicles can communicate back and forth with the power grid in order to deliver electricity into the grid when it is needed and cut back their charging rate when it is scarce.
The idea makes real sense when there is a large number of plug-in electric vehicles. Most vehicles are parked an average of 95 percent of the time, which means that if they were tied to the electric grid during that time, they could collectively act as an enormous battery for the grid.
V2G vehicles could balance the load on the grid by charging when overall demand is low and sending power back when demand is high. V2G could provide so-called spinning reserves to meet sudden demands for power. V2G could reduce the need for costly peak power plants.
A test V2G fleet of 15 electric Mini Coopers is now in place at the University of Delaware in a joint project with the regional grid operator and an electric company. The services provided by V2G vehicles are so valuable to the grid that participating cars could earn about $5 a day, or about $1,800 a year. This income could make electric car ownership far more attractive.
At least five major automakers are exploring the possibilities of V2G. It could well become the next big thing.

U.S. Army Testing Bi-Directional Charging System

Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) is being tested at Fort Carson in Colorado using Smith Electric Vehicles.
KANSAS CITY, MO--(Marketwired - August 30, 2013) - A team of Burns & McDonnell engineers, along with subcontractor Coritech Services has developed a system of bidirectional, fast-charging stations for a fleet of plug-in electric vehicles at Fort Carson, CO. This first-of-its-kind system will push power back to the base microgrid when needed to meet installation demand or improve overall power quality.
On Aug. 29, the team successfully commissioned five bidirectional chargers and the aggregating control system as part of the Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) microgrid project at Fort Carson. Commissioning was performed using both Boulder Electric Vehicle and Smith Electric trucks, which are being provided for use on SPIDERS under separate agreements with the U.S. Army's Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) and TankAutomotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC).
Commissioning of the vehicle charging stations represents an important milestone of the Fort Carson SPIDERS project, which is nearing completion. The project is managed by the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers (USACE) Omaha District and includes technical guidance from CERL and TARDEC.
The bidirectional charging units are capable of providing up to 300 kilowatts (kW) of power to plug-in electric vehicles and also can discharge a like amount of stored energy from the vehicle batteries to the grid or microgrid via Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard J1772-compliant bi-directional charging cables. The vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging includes power factor correction, which is a growing concern at locations such as Fort Carson that are experiencing a growth in on-site solar power generation resulting in utility rate penalties.
Each of the five chargers have been tested to charge and discharge at full capacity of 60kW, and have imported and exported a combined 394 kVAR (reactive power that diminishes the real power capacity of transmission lines) to the local grid even when electric vehicles are not connected to the chargers. This provides a 24-hour per day benefit to Fort Carson by absorbing VARs from the grid, thus increasing the power factor of the loads at Fort Carson and making the transmission of power from the local utility more efficient and less costly.
The chargers are also integrated into the SPIDERS backup powermicrogrid which allows the installation to utilize a fleet of bidirectional-capable electric vehicles as energy storage devices that, in conjunction with diesel generators and a 2-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic array, increases the reliability and efficiency of backup power systems to critical facilities at Fort Carson. The Burns & McDonnell team also includes Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Intelligent Power & Energy Research Corporation (IPERC) that provided design, programming and aggregation of the vehicle charging solution and microgrid integration.
About Burns & McDonnell
Burns & McDonnell provides engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting services to clients throughout North America and abroad. More than 4,000 engineers, architects, scientists, planners, estimators, economists, technicians and other professionals work in more than 20 regional, national and international offices. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is currently ranked Number 20 on the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms. For more information about Burns & McDonnell, visit its website at www.burnsmcd.com.

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