Idaho National Laboratory helps run plug-in cars through the paces 

The Idaho National Laboratory is teaming up with two companies on the leading edge of electric vehicle technology to test a system integrating plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with the power grids they rely on for fuel.

Combining Arizona-based Electric Transportation Engineering Corp’s (eTec) Minit-Charger system with “smart grid” software from Seattle-based V2Green, researchers hope to demonstrate that PHEVs can be fully charged in about 10 minutes, and feed energy back to the grid during times of peak demand.
“The question is: Could these cars actually supplement the grid?” said INL spokeswoman Nicole Stricker. “There’s a lot of hope that they could, but without the data we just don’t know. And that’s where INL comes in.”
Though Stricker said the test contract hasn’t been finalized yet, trials are expected to start this month and would include rapid charging and discharging of PHEV batteries and running the cars through real-world situations.
“We’re showing we can do it for a total of 5,440 miles – 162 trips per vehicle,” said Colin Read, marketing director for eTec’s parent company ECOtality. “We’re pushing these things to the max.”
While fast-charging was first demonstrated in 1995, it has never been tested while integrated with smart grid software.
“There’s a lot of underlying assumptions about what could make this possible, so this trial is really about validating some of those – does this make sense, are the economic benefits great enough?” said V2Green CEO John Clark.
INL will analyze the data and on-the-ground trials will be in Phoenix and at the Argonne National Labs. A solid funding figure for the program couldn’t be supplied, but Stricker said it was less than $1 million.
Results of the trials are expected sometime in 2009.

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