Electric Vehicle Update
Posted on April 11, 2011 by Gordon Feighner
Tags, Emerging Technologies
Electric Vehicles in the News, and on the Road
Electric vehicles have been all over the news lately, and with good cause. The commercial rollout of the first next-generation electric vehicles (EVs, for short) has happened with a good amount of fanfare over the past couple of months in both local and national media. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), aka the Stimulus Package, has provided funding to Ecotality, Inc. to build EV charging infrastructure in Oregon, which will help prepare our state’s highway network to accommodate longer-range trips in the new vehicles. Nissan Motors has chosen Oregon as one of the first markets to release its new LEAF (Low-Emission, Alternative Fuel) sedan, and the Chevrolet Volt is now available to customers in other parts of the country. All of these developments are exciting for people interested in cars, energy efficiency, environmental activism, and more.
One interesting new piece of media attention coming out in the near future is the film The Revenge of the Electric Car. Directed by Chris Paine, who also wrote and directed the 2006 film Who Killed the Electric Car?, the film looks to be an amusing take on emerging vehicle technologies and the major players in the electric car industry, as well as some adventurous folks who have converted their own vehicles to run on electricity. Look for screenings in Portland and across the
country late this spring or early this summer.
CUB Gets Behind the Wheel
CUB staff members Gordon Feighner and Jeff Bissonnette recently had the opportunity to test drive a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius owned by PGE. While not a full EV (the car does have a gasoline engine in addition to a battery), the car did give a good feel for the experience of driving an electric vehicle. Gordon got up to over 50 mph on the highway before the gas engine kicked in, and in-town driving was done in full electric mode. The overall driving experience was not noticeably different than any other modern gasoline-powered sedan, except that the single-speed transmission provides for a slightly smoother ride.
PGE also took the opportunity to show off the charging stations it is trying out for its fleet of electric vehicles. One of these is a Level III quick-charge station which charges at up to 400 volts, providing up to 80% of the vehicle’s battery power in under 20 minutes. The company is also testing several Level II charging stations. These operate at 240 volts, taking four to eight hours to fully charge a vehicle. The Level III stations will typically be available to the public at highway rest areas, truck stops, and major retailers, while the Level II stations will more likely be used for home installations.
Rates and Regulations
On the regulatory side of things, the Oregon PUC has been conducting workshops with stakeholders to determine how to treat electric rates for EV charging. One proposal that has had a few proponents requires EV owners to sign up for a time-of-use rate structure that would provide an incentive to charge vehicles during off-peak hours (say, between 10pm and 6am). CUB does see the value in such a plan, but objects to any sort of mandatory program, as it would require costly additional meters to be installed at the homes of EV owners. Rather, the program should be made optional for the time being, with an eye towards providing more consumer choice for rate structures in the future.
The new EVs are the first real smart “appliances” to hit the market, and as such, they have technology onboard that can meter electric usage and communicate directly with the utility via the Internet. This capability obviates the need for a separate meter just for EV charging, and could allow EV owners to set their vehicles to charge only at certain times when rates are lowest, and could also provide utilities with the flexibility to manage the vehicle charging load by staggering the charging of the vehicles connected to the grid overnight. Technology also exists to send signals that encourage charging during periods of high wind generation. EV charging could, therefore, be dispatched at times during which the marginal emissions (and costs) are near zero, resulting in a greatly diminished impact of EVs on both the grid and the atmosphere. Of course, EV owners who prefer to rely on manual settings should also still be allowed to do so and remain on the regular residential rate schedule.
CUB will continue to be actively involved with the various aspects of electric vehicle implementation in the state, and we’ll keep you updated on its progress.
Finally, If you’ve been a renter and your utility costs were part of your rent? Did your landlord ever fall behind in utility payments where your utilities could have gotten shut off? Do you know someone who’s had that experience? If so, please contact CUB Organizing Director Jeff Bissonnette.
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03/23/17 | 0 Comments | Electric Vehicle Update