POWER March 2012 - 68

ELECTRIC VEHICLES
EEI Proposes Road Map for
Electric Vehicle Integration
Several new models of plug-in electric vehicles will enter the market in 2012,
joining the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt. The Edison Electric Institute
has prepared four suggestions to help utilities smoothly handle the introduction
of these vehicles to roads and grids.
By Rick Tempchin, Edison Electric Institute
T
his is an important year for electric transportation.
Following late-2010 introductions
of electric vehicles by Nissan and
General Motors, other major auto manufacturers
and several startups will be offering their
customers a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) in
2012. Among the new PEVs being introduced
this year are the Toyota Prius Plug-in, Mitsubishi
i, Ford Focus Electric, smart fortwo
electric drive, and the Tesla Model S (Figure
1). From compact two-seaters to hatchbacks
and luxury sedans, PEVs will soon be coming
to car dealerships nationwide.
To help electric utilities get themselves and
their customers ready for these new electric
cars and trucks, the Edison Electric Institute
(EEI) has produced The Utility Guide to PlugIn
Electric Vehicle Readiness. The Guide
builds on lessons learned by utilities serving
the cities and regions where the Nissan LEAF
and Chevrolet Volt were introduced just over
a year ago. It also includes advice and insight
from automotive and utility industry leaders,
as well as groups such as the Electric Power
Research Institute (EPRI) and the Electric
Drive Transportation Association.
The Guide identifies four main issues that
every electric utility will need to address to
make sure it is ready for PEVs to plug into its
service area's grid.
Get Up to Speed
The first thing to realize is that PEVs will affect
nearly all aspects of a utility's business.
Here are just two aspects of preparedness.
Utility Structure and Organization.
Customer-facing employees and media staff
will need training. Regulatory and policy
staffs need to understand how PEVs can
impact rates and legislation. Engineers and
planners may need new tools for forecasting
loads and managing distribution systems.
PEVs may also involve demand management
programs, grid modernization initiatives, and
customer information and billing systems.
PEVs are cleaner than gasoline-powered
vehicles; therefore, utilities may wish to ana66
lyze
their environmental benefits in light of
future carbon credits and emissions actions.
Utility Fleet PEVs. Adding PEVs to a
utility's fleet can return a number of benefits,
such as gaining direct, valuable experience
in PEV technology, test-charging
infrastructure, and demand response systems.
It can also make a positive public
statement about the company's position on
clean transportation.
Several types of PEVs can be added to the
fleet, including PEV bucket trucks, delivery
vans, SUVs, and 4-door sedans. Some are
available commercially, while others are only
available through demonstration projects or
trial programs.
To fund PEV additions, some utilities have
used traditional means or have used them as
components of a research project on smart
charging, demand-side management, grid
modernization, emissions, or load. Funding
from Clean Cities, the Department of Energy,
or other sources may be available to offset
the PEV cost premium.
Enhance the Customer Experience
The second consideration is the customer
experience. For PEVs to be a success, customers
must be happy. They will need to
know about the benefits that PEVs can offer
and experience them firsthand. To help
ensure a positive customer experience,
education and outreach will be essential,
beginning with information about the differences
among PEVs.
Types of PEVs. One type of PEV is the
battery or " pure " electric car, like the Nissan
LEAF. It uses a battery and an electric
motor to supply all of its power; there is no
supplemental gasoline engine. When the battery
gets low, the car can be plugged into an
ordinary outlet for a recharge. The LEAF and
other pure electric PEVs have a driving range
of up to 100 miles on a full charge. All-electrics
with a larger battery, such as the Tesla
Roadster, can travel more than 200 miles on
a single battery charge.
www.powermag.com
Other PEVs, like the Chevy Volt, use a
hybrid of gasoline and electricity to power
the vehicle. As with non-plug-in gas-electric
hybrids-such as the Toyota Prius-the Volt
uses battery power in addition to a gasoline
engine to supply power. But unlike non-plugin
hybrids, the hybrid PEV (depending on the
model) can drive between 10 and 40 miles on
its electric charge alone before gasoline is consumed.
Once the battery charge is depleted, the
gas engine allows the car to drive about another
300 miles. When the owner gets home, the
hybrid PEV can be plugged into an outlet to
recharge its battery, just like the LEAF.
Cost Benefits. Either type of PEV is good
news for consumers. Research shows that the
typical driver travels an average of 32 miles a
day. This means that the majority of PEV owners
will be able to operate on battery power-
with minimal or no gasoline usage-to meet
their daily driving needs. And when they need
to recharge, the cost of an equivalent electric
" gallon " of gasoline is about $1.00.
Environmental and Employment Benefits.
As more and more PEVs take to the road,
the country will benefit as well. By using less
gasoline than regular cars, PEVs can help to
reduce our nation's dependency on foreign oil.
This in turn will increase our energy independence
and reduce vehicle emissions. And as the
nation transitions to a new era of electric transportation,
demand for jobs in this new technology
sector will continue to increase. From
manufacturing batteries to building the charging
infrastructure, PEVs will create high-quality
job opportunities throughout the country.
Communicating the Benefits. Utilities
will want to present a uniform set of basic
PEV facts to the public, supplemented with
their own rates, incentives, and program information.
Here's what they'll need to provide
to various stakeholders:
■ Utility customers will need to know about
the availability and benefits of specific
PEV rates, vehicle " fueling " costs, and
basic charging information.
POWER | March 2012
http://www.powermag.com
POWER March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER March 2012
