Honda has joined the vehicle-to-grid research program at the University of Delaware.
The V2G venture went into operation early this year and is now generating electrical generating revenue through the PJM regional electric grid. According to UD, one vehicle feeding power into the grid can power the equivalent of ten homes.
The Honda being tested is a hybrid model of its popular Accord. The Honda joins a fleet of BMW Mini all-electric automobiles. More Minis and commercial vans are expected to be added to the UD fleet, according to published reports.
The use of hybrids, which use a small engine in addition to an electric motor, could sharply increase the number of vehicles that could feed power into the grid.
Supporting the effort is NRG Energy Inc., an electric power producer.
“The participation of global automakers like Honda will help demonstrate and refine the technology,” said Willett Kempton, professor in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and research director of the University’s Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration. “The University of Delaware has been developing the technology so that vehicle batteries can be used not only for mobility but also for grid services. It is a big step toward a future with widespread availability of the technology to have Honda join our demonstration with their V2G-capable car.”
In a recent presentation at the Delaware Technology Forum, Kempton said each vehicle in the demonstration is getting about $150 a month for moving electricity into the grid.
“This technology has the potential to support both a cleaner and more efficient power grid and a more positive ownership experience for EV customers,” said Steven Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office of American Honda Motor Co. Inc. “With V2G technology, a network of PEVs (plug-in electric vehicles) becomes essentially a distributed energy storage system. It makes for an even stronger value equation for plug-in vehicles, with benefits for both the community and the vehicle user.”
The V2G system is able to monitor the status of the grid to determine whether the grid requires additional power sources that can respond rapidly, or the grid requires power demands that can absorb transitional power supply.
Such a system has the potential to reduce or eliminate the fluctuation of the grid, which can occur more frequently when renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, move into the grid.
“As the U.S. adds more intermittent resources to the grid, finding a lower cost energy storage technology that also benefits electric vehicle drivers is a great opportunity,” said Denise Wilson, NRG executive vice president and president, New Businesses. “We see this demonstration by Honda as an important step in the development of vehicle-to-grid technology.”
Researchers are also looking at using large vehicle fleets of organizations, like the U.S. Postal Service and Defense Department as a way to feed power into the grid.
Such vehicles are often parked at night when solar power is not available. At the same time, there are concerns that plugged in vehicles being charged might spur electric demand.
The demonstration is conducted in the area served by PJM Interconnection, which controls electricity supply in 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Kempton’s team is also looking for ways to make electric vehicles more usable on longer trips through the use of higher-voltage charging stations that would allow a vehicle to be charged during lunch.
