Here is a news item about a prototype electric car, which is designed to share the electricity in it's battery with the power company:
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/535841/
This is an intriguing idea. I hope to learn more about the details and the potential economics of this. As far as I know, battery capacity is the biggest problem with totally-electric cars. A car with fuel cells or a small gasoline engine can therefore have a much greater range. The idea of sharing the charge with the power company would only work if the capacity of the battery was maximized though.
If the car's owner got a substantial amount of the $4000 the article estimates, I suspect they would find it cheaper to buy their own batteries and leave them in the "garage" all the time. The only way I foresee this being widely adopted is if it is viewed as a public service. I hope it will be persued and the economic tradeoffs fully explored. Perhaps the power companies could "pay" for the storage capacity with credit points that merely give bragging rights, like BOINC, for example. If they then donated power to charity organizations according to the credits, everyone would get a feel-good public relations boost from experimenting with the idea.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/535841/
| Quote: |
| When the car is in the V2G setting, the battery’s charge goes up or down depending on the needs of the grid operator, which sometimes must store surplus power and other times requires extra power to respond to surges in usage. The ability of the V2G car’s battery to act like a sponge provides a solution for utilities, which pay millions to generating stations that help balance the grid. Kempton estimates the value for utilities could be up to $4,000 a year for the service, part of which could be paid to drivers. |
This is an intriguing idea. I hope to learn more about the details and the potential economics of this. As far as I know, battery capacity is the biggest problem with totally-electric cars. A car with fuel cells or a small gasoline engine can therefore have a much greater range. The idea of sharing the charge with the power company would only work if the capacity of the battery was maximized though.
If the car's owner got a substantial amount of the $4000 the article estimates, I suspect they would find it cheaper to buy their own batteries and leave them in the "garage" all the time. The only way I foresee this being widely adopted is if it is viewed as a public service. I hope it will be persued and the economic tradeoffs fully explored. Perhaps the power companies could "pay" for the storage capacity with credit points that merely give bragging rights, like BOINC, for example. If they then donated power to charity organizations according to the credits, everyone would get a feel-good public relations boost from experimenting with the idea.
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