In testimony before the California Air Resources Board
today, AC Propulsion vice-president, Alec Brooks, turned the tables
on auto industry giants who are using the power crisis to pressure Governor
Davis to suspend electric vehicle requirements. Brooks explained how
electric vehicles can help solve California's electricity problems.
Brooks told the Board, "Electrically driven vehicles,
and I include hybrids and fuel cell vehicles along with battery EVs,
will actually help California solve its electricity problems because
they can feed power to the grid. It's a convergence of many recent technology
developments, but the key factor is that every EV represents power capacity
on wheels. When those wheels are parked and the car is plugged in, that
power capacity can be available to the grid."
In his testimony, Brooks described how the electrical
equipment on board electric vehicles can serve double duty, powering
the car, typically for just for one or two hours a day, and supporting
the power grid the rest of the time. "It's not a 'something for
nothing scheme', the energy has to come from fuel," Brooks explained,
"but battery EVs can shift power from low demand periods to high
demand periods, and hybrid vehicles can actually generate electricity
for the grid cleanly, quietly, and efficiently. The technology that
automakers have developed for automotive emission controls and fuel
economy is very effective during steady-state operation at light load,
so automobile engines make great powerplants for small-scale generation.
Once you have several thousand vehicles, they add up to a significant
generating asset. Since the power generation is close to the power consumption,
you reduce congestion on the grid too.
"The same logic applies to fuel cell vehicles,"
said Brooks. "When parked, they can generate power with zero or
almost zero emissions. Right now, fuel cell cars are far more expensive
than battery electrics, but as costs come down, the ability to sell
power from a fuel cell car to the grid will make them more affordable
sooner, speeding commercialization."
According to Brooks' testimony, actual power generation
is just one element of the vehicle-to-grid concept. "Operation
of the power grid is complex," noted Brooks, "beyond just
generating power, it requires real-time regulation to balance supply
and demand. In California, the Independent System Operator (Cal ISO)
runs the grid, and they pay significant sums of money for the reserve
capacity they need to keep the grid in balance. Electric vehicles are
an ideal source of reserve capacity. Once California has several thousand
EVs on the road, the vehicles can supply a chunk of the reserves needed
by the ISO and earn a handy profit for their owners."
Brooks commented on the future of vehicle-to-grid power.
"We know of at least four auto companies that are looking at using
vehicles to make AC electricity. I would bet that most auto companies
are looking. The electricity situation in California right now is serious,
but the ZEV mandate won't have any negative effect in the near term.
For the longer term, putting electric vehicles on the road offers the
potential to help solve California's electricity problems. Keeping the
mandate in place will help make that happen."
AC Propulsion is a California corporation dedicated
to creating electric vehicles that people want to drive. Founded in
1992, the company develops, manufactures, and licenses technology for
electric and hybrid vehicle drive systems. AC Propulsion has patented
several key technologies for electric vehicles, including Reductive
charging a high-power bi-directional interface between the vehicle
and the power grid.
Click here for:
Brooks' CARB testimony
AC
Propulsion Commentary
