January 2009 Archives
While exploring the artistic corners of the web our friends over at www.abstractmall.com came across some cool concept art for a next generation electric car done for OSCAR Light Construction Equipment Incorporated Company. Notice the super small form factor and power button emblem on the hood of the car. The car is called the Electri-City and besides that we don't have much info. This could be what tomorrow's cars look like, branching off of today's BMW Mini Coopers and Fit's.
The electric utility industry is unique because electrons are a commodity, they are used across mediums. Currently there is a lack of economically feasible storage which hinders penetration. For example, corn is easy and cheap to store in large quantities. Electricity requires expensive batteries that wear out over time and are expensive to produce. The grid (in it's modern state) transports energy but has nowhere to store it, that is why energy is cheaper at off peak times - production (while not remaining constant) but the demand has deceased.
Enter the Electric car as a grid enhancement device. By using onboard energy storage in EV's (batteries) we can increase energy penetration on the grid as well as utility to consumers and the environment. Through the use of a smart grid peaks and valleys in energy use could be smoothed out and strain reduced on energy production.
Over half of the US states have a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) which requires them to meet a certain level of renewable energy production by a set date. 75% of the renewable energy created last year in the US came from wind. Using the Tesla Roadster or Chevy Volt as a tangible example, the electricity cost for one year to run one of these EV's on average would be $300-$400 verses gasoline (which fluctuates) costing from $1000-$2000 per year. This according to DTE Energy.
Going back to peaks and valleys in electricity use, the peak occurs around 6pm with a trough at 6am. In order to meet the electricity needs throughout the day in the US different types of energy are used ranging from natural gas, coal, then nuclear and finally hydro (in order of highest percentage used). These energy sources (which are primary today) may soon become backup sources along with grid aware cars storing electrons. This is very important because wind is variable throughout the day and may not be at it's maximum output at peek demand times ie. 6pm. To illustrate this point, currently in Michigan plugin hybrid cars (PHEV modified Toyota Prius's) are drawing 10% of the electricity output at peak hours when people get home from work. This could easily be offset to have cars charge later in the night when consumption hits a trough.
DTE is addressing these needs and opportunities by investing in utility uses for energy sources including bulk storage, spinning reserves, frequency regulation, and deferred distribution upgrades. The requirements go from high capacity need to longer availability need. DTE Energy is also doing a vehicle utility interface application and investing in small third-party startups.
Enter the Electric car as a grid enhancement device. By using onboard energy storage in EV's (batteries) we can increase energy penetration on the grid as well as utility to consumers and the environment. Through the use of a smart grid peaks and valleys in energy use could be smoothed out and strain reduced on energy production.
Over half of the US states have a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) which requires them to meet a certain level of renewable energy production by a set date. 75% of the renewable energy created last year in the US came from wind. Using the Tesla Roadster or Chevy Volt as a tangible example, the electricity cost for one year to run one of these EV's on average would be $300-$400 verses gasoline (which fluctuates) costing from $1000-$2000 per year. This according to DTE Energy.
Going back to peaks and valleys in electricity use, the peak occurs around 6pm with a trough at 6am. In order to meet the electricity needs throughout the day in the US different types of energy are used ranging from natural gas, coal, then nuclear and finally hydro (in order of highest percentage used). These energy sources (which are primary today) may soon become backup sources along with grid aware cars storing electrons. This is very important because wind is variable throughout the day and may not be at it's maximum output at peek demand times ie. 6pm. To illustrate this point, currently in Michigan plugin hybrid cars (PHEV modified Toyota Prius's) are drawing 10% of the electricity output at peak hours when people get home from work. This could easily be offset to have cars charge later in the night when consumption hits a trough.
DTE is addressing these needs and opportunities by investing in utility uses for energy sources including bulk storage, spinning reserves, frequency regulation, and deferred distribution upgrades. The requirements go from high capacity need to longer availability need. DTE Energy is also doing a vehicle utility interface application and investing in small third-party startups.
Carl Lewis was previously the CSO of Gridpoint which is a smart grid company that allocates energy throughout a geographic community. The car is a key component in the transition to a smart grid. Consumers will be buying and pluging into the grid. It is our goal to provide consumers with information on where they are spending and producing power and then give the utility a way to aggregate information and measure who consumed what, where, when and determine billing.
assuming 25% of cars on the grid were plugin by 2020 then we would need an additional 160 large power plants in the US to manage on-peak charging vs. 0-8 if off-peak charging were used. We have enough capacity to power 100 million electric vehicles today if we manage charging correctly. We have more than enough capacity, we need to make the cars themselves "grid aware" to manage that capacity successfully. Average EV power consumption is ~10kWh.
Speed chargers (going from 6-8hr charge to 1-2hr charge) triples the charging footprint on the grid. Most utilities are not prepared for the additional peak load. Time used pricing model helps to balance this out and is being rolled out across the nation. There will be a contract between the utility and the consumer, a network software program that helps to optimize "who's doing what when".
It's hard to clean up the production of gasoline, we can make it more efficient in use but harder to clean the development and usage of it. By contrast, the grid is constantly getting cleaner based on generation sources (wind, solar, clean coal). This is a paradigm switch.
Smart charging allows utilities to manage the one way flow of electricity to PHEV's within parameters set by plug-in owners. Able to adapt charging to grid requirements, slowing during high demand and increasing with the availability of renewable energy. Since it will be cheaper to charge a car more slowly during off peak hours the market will respond based on price as long as they have the right information and systems to motivate and support them.
Electricity is a locational challenge, different locations have different needs. You need to understand where the asset is sitting within the geography of the grid. It's a provision problem. The smart grid makes EV's aware. We have to take the aggregate data of thousands, millions of vehicles and tie it to the grid. The United States has the largest wind generation capacity in the world (just surpassing Germany). Combining weather forecasting with energy use we can utilize this free* energy resource with technology to optimize what is going on real time. If for example, hundreds of cars could be charged to 98% instead of 100% (based on driver needs) most people wouldn't know or care and this could be done to reduce stress on the grid in anticipation of peak hours and electricity generation forcasting. Everyone wins and the tragedy of the commons (in terms of overcharging unnecessarily) could be avoided.
Other EV applications on the grid: smart charging, roam charging (one bill no matter where charging occurs), locational awareness of load control opportunities. Charging stations (public area charging of apartments and town home dwellers) are all things we are taking into consideration and trying to build into our solutions.
The US has 50 distinct regulation areas, each state defines it's own tariffs etc. Additionally there is a US regulation. The US auto manufacturer has to deal with each of these regulations and standards groups are working to create more efficiency - there is a new plug standard under work. Close to 3,000 utilities across the US (each is independently owned an operated) makes standardization and efficiency even more challenging. There is a huge information flow challenge here. It's a complicated problem that Gridpoint is working to address.
assuming 25% of cars on the grid were plugin by 2020 then we would need an additional 160 large power plants in the US to manage on-peak charging vs. 0-8 if off-peak charging were used. We have enough capacity to power 100 million electric vehicles today if we manage charging correctly. We have more than enough capacity, we need to make the cars themselves "grid aware" to manage that capacity successfully. Average EV power consumption is ~10kWh.
Speed chargers (going from 6-8hr charge to 1-2hr charge) triples the charging footprint on the grid. Most utilities are not prepared for the additional peak load. Time used pricing model helps to balance this out and is being rolled out across the nation. There will be a contract between the utility and the consumer, a network software program that helps to optimize "who's doing what when".
It's hard to clean up the production of gasoline, we can make it more efficient in use but harder to clean the development and usage of it. By contrast, the grid is constantly getting cleaner based on generation sources (wind, solar, clean coal). This is a paradigm switch.
Smart charging allows utilities to manage the one way flow of electricity to PHEV's within parameters set by plug-in owners. Able to adapt charging to grid requirements, slowing during high demand and increasing with the availability of renewable energy. Since it will be cheaper to charge a car more slowly during off peak hours the market will respond based on price as long as they have the right information and systems to motivate and support them.
Electricity is a locational challenge, different locations have different needs. You need to understand where the asset is sitting within the geography of the grid. It's a provision problem. The smart grid makes EV's aware. We have to take the aggregate data of thousands, millions of vehicles and tie it to the grid. The United States has the largest wind generation capacity in the world (just surpassing Germany). Combining weather forecasting with energy use we can utilize this free* energy resource with technology to optimize what is going on real time. If for example, hundreds of cars could be charged to 98% instead of 100% (based on driver needs) most people wouldn't know or care and this could be done to reduce stress on the grid in anticipation of peak hours and electricity generation forcasting. Everyone wins and the tragedy of the commons (in terms of overcharging unnecessarily) could be avoided.
Other EV applications on the grid: smart charging, roam charging (one bill no matter where charging occurs), locational awareness of load control opportunities. Charging stations (public area charging of apartments and town home dwellers) are all things we are taking into consideration and trying to build into our solutions.
The US has 50 distinct regulation areas, each state defines it's own tariffs etc. Additionally there is a US regulation. The US auto manufacturer has to deal with each of these regulations and standards groups are working to create more efficiency - there is a new plug standard under work. Close to 3,000 utilities across the US (each is independently owned an operated) makes standardization and efficiency even more challenging. There is a huge information flow challenge here. It's a complicated problem that Gridpoint is working to address.
Tony Passowats is the line director for the Chevy Volt and E-Flex systems. He lead the development of the Volt concept car, and is leading the development of the 2011 Volt. Tony has been a line director for 11 years and he has received many awards in that time. He was recently invited to join the board of directors of the Electric Drive Transportation Association and is presenting here today (November 2008).
Presentation: Electrifying the Nation - this title takes into consideration the importance of the model (of electric cars) but engages everyone because it's much more than the car, ultimately electrifying the nations providing thought leadership and expertise. Tony recently spoke with Rick (from GM) where they looked at the challenges of creating cars, going beyond just working on the car and considering geopolitical forces. This business is akin to a startup in a space that is much more crowded and complicated.
"The unveiling of the Chevy Volt is a sign that General Motors is committed to responding to tomorrow's energy and environmental challenges today." - Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. 100 years ago today Taft was elected president and he plugged his car in. Electrifying the nation is about relevant plug-in vehicles, Advanced Batteries and Technology Partners, Intelligent Energy management services, and Electric Utilities involving community, policy and customers. It's not just one company or product.
GridPoint is a company that GM is working with to explore software control in batteries, load control, etc. Carl Lewis will discuss one of these initiatives later today. GM's on-star platform and how it could aid the EV. It's more than pushing a button to unlock a door or get a reservation - it could be maintenance related, issue anticipation or green routing (reminds us of traffic mapping on Google maps). The Volt is being worked on with great energy, people ask if the Volt program is in jeopardy - Tony says no "more GM resources are being allocated towards electric drive".
Lets talk about education - Primary vs. secondary fuel, extended range EV vs. PHEV. Plugin hybrid lineage comes from gasoline, supplemented with gasoline. The volt is an electric driven vehicle, can use secondary fuel as a backup. One is primary gasoline the other is primary electric. Internal combustion to hybrid to plugin hybrid vs. EV to EREV to FCEV. If you took away the gasoline drive component from a traditional hybrid the car wouldn't run, but if you took it out of the Volt it would run.
Muel cars (concept Volt's) are based on the Chevy cruise architecture, leveraging existing models. Currently GM has about a dozen prototype Chevy Volts on the road. PHEV and Extended range vehicles are leveraging shared technology at Chevrolet. The battery enterprise still needs much development, Tony's team is amassing the equivalent of 10 years worth of battery testing.
GM works closely with utility companies to accelerate the use of electricity to replace gas, creating affordable desirable vehicles that take advantage of the grid and realize the environmental benefits of plugins. One key element we all need to work on is making charging work, off peak charging, installation services and cost of ownership advantage, billing, energy storage etc. Smart charging for grid load management. GM is looking hard at domestic manufacturing policy.
Community can play a role here, whenever a plugin is launched it may be focused on a specific area then expanded, different areas of the country (and world) have different transportation needs. GM is searching for the right community to begin and has selected some communities in California for testing. HOV Lanes, parking, charging all play a role, is the community receptive? GM has 12 vehicles representing electric drive including second generation technology for many of the cars. Gas friendly to gas free messaging, it's the fuel. Energy diversity creates innovation and competition. We all want to have the choice to decide what the right systems are, it creates security and energy independence. The auto business is a growth business and they want everyone to participate.
This past year (2007) GM sold 9.4M cars globally employed about 265K (many less now). GM sells 61% of their cars outside of the US and motor vehicles are the single largest us export. In closing, the Volt is an important initiative for GM and they look to the help of the industry and other innovators to make it a success.
Presentation: Electrifying the Nation - this title takes into consideration the importance of the model (of electric cars) but engages everyone because it's much more than the car, ultimately electrifying the nations providing thought leadership and expertise. Tony recently spoke with Rick (from GM) where they looked at the challenges of creating cars, going beyond just working on the car and considering geopolitical forces. This business is akin to a startup in a space that is much more crowded and complicated.
"The unveiling of the Chevy Volt is a sign that General Motors is committed to responding to tomorrow's energy and environmental challenges today." - Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. 100 years ago today Taft was elected president and he plugged his car in. Electrifying the nation is about relevant plug-in vehicles, Advanced Batteries and Technology Partners, Intelligent Energy management services, and Electric Utilities involving community, policy and customers. It's not just one company or product.
GridPoint is a company that GM is working with to explore software control in batteries, load control, etc. Carl Lewis will discuss one of these initiatives later today. GM's on-star platform and how it could aid the EV. It's more than pushing a button to unlock a door or get a reservation - it could be maintenance related, issue anticipation or green routing (reminds us of traffic mapping on Google maps). The Volt is being worked on with great energy, people ask if the Volt program is in jeopardy - Tony says no "more GM resources are being allocated towards electric drive".
Lets talk about education - Primary vs. secondary fuel, extended range EV vs. PHEV. Plugin hybrid lineage comes from gasoline, supplemented with gasoline. The volt is an electric driven vehicle, can use secondary fuel as a backup. One is primary gasoline the other is primary electric. Internal combustion to hybrid to plugin hybrid vs. EV to EREV to FCEV. If you took away the gasoline drive component from a traditional hybrid the car wouldn't run, but if you took it out of the Volt it would run.
Muel cars (concept Volt's) are based on the Chevy cruise architecture, leveraging existing models. Currently GM has about a dozen prototype Chevy Volts on the road. PHEV and Extended range vehicles are leveraging shared technology at Chevrolet. The battery enterprise still needs much development, Tony's team is amassing the equivalent of 10 years worth of battery testing.
GM works closely with utility companies to accelerate the use of electricity to replace gas, creating affordable desirable vehicles that take advantage of the grid and realize the environmental benefits of plugins. One key element we all need to work on is making charging work, off peak charging, installation services and cost of ownership advantage, billing, energy storage etc. Smart charging for grid load management. GM is looking hard at domestic manufacturing policy.
Community can play a role here, whenever a plugin is launched it may be focused on a specific area then expanded, different areas of the country (and world) have different transportation needs. GM is searching for the right community to begin and has selected some communities in California for testing. HOV Lanes, parking, charging all play a role, is the community receptive? GM has 12 vehicles representing electric drive including second generation technology for many of the cars. Gas friendly to gas free messaging, it's the fuel. Energy diversity creates innovation and competition. We all want to have the choice to decide what the right systems are, it creates security and energy independence. The auto business is a growth business and they want everyone to participate.
This past year (2007) GM sold 9.4M cars globally employed about 265K (many less now). GM sells 61% of their cars outside of the US and motor vehicles are the single largest us export. In closing, the Volt is an important initiative for GM and they look to the help of the industry and other innovators to make it a success.
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