GRIDPOINT

Electric Vehicle Management Deployments

Leading utilities have deployed GridPoint’s smart charging software in field trials and demonstration projects to better understand the impact plug‐in vehicles will have in their service areas. Given that each grid has unique challenges and constraints, particularly at the distribution level, individual utilities are eager to inform their strategic planning process with relevant experience and data. Smart charging trials are opportunities to better understand the power of smart charging, acquire valuable learning for strategic planning and confirm the value of electric transportation.

Understanding EV Impact In Baltimore

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) is eager to explore real‐world plug‐in electric hybrid charging scenarios, gaining relevant experience to inform their strategic planning and help shape smart charging options for the future. Fielding five converted Toyota Priuses and a Ford Escape, and deploying electric vehicle management technology from GridPoint, BGE will investigate when and where drivers will charge their vehicles, what effect charging may have on BGE’s peak load periods and how that load can be managed to provide cost efficient energy to customers. BGE will also evaluate the impact a PHEV fleet has on the company’s carbon footprint.

“GridPoint’s proven smart charging software allows us to understand the impact charging vehicles will have on our grid and provides the tools we need to seamlessly support wide‐scale adoption of electric transportation.”

John J. Murach
Director of Business Planning and Corporate Performance

Accelerating Adoption in California

Deploying 50 converted Toyota Priuses installed with GridPoint’s vehicle data application, California’s Department of General Services (DGS) is investigating what efficiencies may be gained through the use of electric vehicles and evaluating their potential to help drive the reduction of greenhouse gasses. Of particular interest is gaining a deeper understanding of PHEV performance across a wide range of terrain, climate and drivers. The vehicles in the trial will be located from San Francisco and Sacramento to San Diego, and will be driven by both selected CA state employees as well as general consumers.

“The rich information captured with GridPoint’s data logging solution will be of tremendous help to California as it works to meet its emissions and fossil fuels reduction goals.”

Kathy Hicks
Chief of the Office of Fleet and Asset Management

Establishing The Value Of Smart Charging

Nationally recognized for their advocacy of plug‐in vehicles, Austin Energy has initiated a multi‐phased smart charging pilot project. The goal is to determine the impact of plug‐in vehicles on the grid and assess the potential value of employing smart charging strategies to manage load, deliver ancillary services and increase the use of West Texas wind in energy generation. In phase one of the project, Austin Energy used GridPoint’s software to control the flow of energy to two converted Toyota Priuses, successfully shifting the charging load into off‐peak periods and centering overnight charging to coincide with the typical profile of peak wind availability.

“The benefits that could be realized from plug‐in hybrids aren’t some futuristic ideal – the vehicle technology and the electric infrastructure to fuel these vehicles are here today.”

Mayor Will Wynn

The Nation's Largest Smart Charging Trial

In Seattle, the largest smart charging field trial to date is underway. In addition to their own vehicles, Seattle City Light has recruited Priuses from the City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle, King County and the Puget Sound Clear Air Agency to the trial. A total of 13 vehicles have been converted and equipped with GridPoint technology. Seattle City Light is eager to understand the effect plug‐in vehicles will have on their urban grid. The fleet of plug‐in vehicles will be used to explore a series of smart charging scenarios, including peak vs. off‐peak and location‐specific charging. The goal of the year‐long trial is to demonstrate that new, vehicle‐related load can be effectively managed, protecting the distribution system and avoiding the need to buy power.

"This type of technology means that consumers could use the existing electricity grid to power most of the vehicles on our roads at the equivalent cost of less than a dollar a gallon."

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell

Collecting Critical Performance Data

The Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is the lead lab for field performance and life testing of advanced technology vehicles. In several demonstration projects across the nation, INL is evaluating plug‐in hybrid electric technology and its potential to reduce the nation's dependency on foreign petroleum imports. GridPoint technology is collecting real‐time performance data from over 100 plug‐in hybrid electric vehicles deployed across North America. Essential data is acquired, logged and automatically uploaded via secure channels to the GridPoint Server. The streamlined, highly accurate data capture makes it easy for INL data analysts to evaluate gasoline and electricity use, average and top speeds, miles driven and trips per charge, and charge timing and duration. This real world information and analysis is vital to making plug‐in vehicles widely acceptable.

"GridPoint will help us study charging practices and utility grid management, and ultimately recognize the full potential of plug‐in vehicles."*

Michael Hagood
Energy Systems Business Liaison

*References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government, any agency thereof, or any entity affiliated with Idaho National Laboratory.