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RMI Forms Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Team; Focus on “Smart Garage”
29 September 2007
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| Chart shown by RMI on the conceptual impact on minimum and peak grid load in California with PHEVs and V2G services. Red is baseline load; yellow, load with off-peak PHEV smart charging; and green, peak load reduction from V2G. Click to enlarge. |
The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has formed a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) team to lead a consortium of companies to design and develop an optimized PHEV platform. Originally part of RMI’s transportation consulting team, the PHEV team is working with Alcoa, Johnson Controls, Google, and the Turner Foundation to explore the possibilities of bringing a lightweight, more efficient, fully functional PHEV to the US market.
RMI sees the PHEV as playing a critical role in bringing together two critical pieces of the energy system—power generation and transportation—and the company is working in a broader partnership with Johnson Controls and PG&E on the concept of the “smart garage”.
Spearheading the RMI effort are John Waters and Joel Swisher. Waters, team leader of the RMI Breakthrough Design Team, was formerly vice president of business development for EnerDel and had led the design and production of the battery pack system for General Motors’ EV1. Swisher is team leader of the RMI Energy & Resources Team, which focuses on the development of financially and environmentally superior ways to produce, buy, sell, and save energy.
In addition to focusing on advanced battery, motor, engine and control technologies, the RMI team—characteristically—is focusing on optimizing the efficiency of the vehicle platform through aerodynamics, lightweighting, and rolling resistance.
In that latter context of optimizing the efficiency of the basic vehicle platform as well as designing a powertrain, Waters is not at all optimistic about the prospects for the Chevrolet Volt.
[The Volt] is a 4,000-pound vehicle. The drag coefficient is around .30. They [GM] forgot everything they learned on the EV1 so for me, it is a very discouraging concept, the fact that it is inefficient.
Therefore if it is inefficient, it takes more batteries on board...and batteries cost money, and you’re not going to pay for them. So this is a concept that is not going to work.
So until they start hearing the RMI message, really, of lighten your vehicle, make it more efficient, and that the energy you put on board is a minimum...then you can afford it. The cost equation does work.
—John Waters
The Smart Garage, says Swisher, is the place where the vehicle fleet, the building and the grid come together.
[The plug in hybrid] is an important piece of the energy system in that it is bringing together these different parts of the energy systems.
—Joel Swisher
Through a combination of smart charging and other vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, the use of PHEVs can help increase the use of renewable power generation at the margin, flatten out peak demand, and overall contribute to the more efficient use of electric power, while reducing the need to build new power generation capability, according to the team.
RMI and its partners are thinking of creating a customer service package that includes PHEV charging via renewable generation, a home makeover (energy efficiency and solar), a reliability system and a package of financing.
(A hat-tip to Felix at CalCars!)
Resources:
RMI PHEV-Smart Garage video
Energy Farmers & Environmentalism for the 21st Century (p. 37+)
September 29, 2007 in Plug-ins, V2G, Vehicle Systems | Permalink | Comments (35) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: larry | October 02, 2007 at 07:01 AM
Here in Nevada we have a dope for a Gov. We need solar and wind farms(like T Boone is building in Tex). Then , no more gas stations for me!! I'll buy a plug in in a heart beat!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: larry | October 02, 2007 at 07:02 AM
Kit,
We don't have that problem (lack of renewable) in the great state of Washington...
Posted by: Patrick | October 02, 2007 at 10:14 AM
"Peak demand is caused by people diving home and turning on their AC" Peak demand is like the graph supplied or like this,
http://www.theimo.com/imoweb/marketdata/marketToday.asp
and it peaks around 1-3 pm, a little earlier than people getting home.
As for the statement being contradictory, I can say for me, not really. Solar PV wouldn't supply the off peak power since it peaks in the same diurnal cycle but wind and maybe solar thermal or wave/tidal/current (if it ever gets cheap enough), could supply the off peak extra current for the extra power the vehicles needed. The power supplied off-peak is fed back into the system when needed with V2G and could be used to buffer the variability of renewables. It should be cheaper than conventional peak generation, although I'm not too sure how cheap the infrastructure costs would be. Also, it should be noted that the DOE study of 84% of vehicles of the US could use the base load of the present electrical system with no upgrades to it for its vehicular energy needs.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/12/doe_study_offpe.html
As for cars meeting the emotional needs of the consumer, some blame must be laid upon the maker. They pushed the market in that direction for years in part because they make more money per vehicle that way. Those that bought the Prius wanted to make a statement about their values just like those that buy SUVs and don't really need them. Just remember Honda's failure with the accord muscle hybrid. Until people try to accept the idea of limited resources, hybrids will remain a niche market idea only. Only by pushing it into the spotlight to see that it is a valued way of increasing efficiency will it become mainstream.
Posted by: aym | October 02, 2007 at 01:42 PM
@ Doug:
"We should be talking about how to balance efficiency with meeting customers' emotional and utility needs. That's what sells cars. It's why the EV1 didn't sell. It's why the Prius is still considered 'snobby'."
Excuse me, but no one could buy an EV1, because GM didn't sell them! They only LEASED them. Despite that limitation, the waiting list for people who wanted to lease EV1's was very, very long.
Fast forward to 2007. Out here in Silicon Valley, the Mercury News recently reported that the Prius is now the number one selling automobile in Santa Clara county. I bought one myself in 2004. It is the largest car I have ever owned.
My home solar PV system is in place, and generating $300/year in surplus electricity credits. The only thing that is stopping me from getting an aftermarket PHEV upgrade for my Prius is the fact that I would void Toyota's ten-year, 100,000-mile warranty. I'm sorely tempted, though. In a few years, I'll probably give in.
My Dad owns a truck, but after riding in my Prius, he wants one too. Only he wants to leap straight to a PHEV if he can.
The rest of the country needs to get over their knee-jerk, anti-intellectual responses, and take a hint from us nerds.
Posted by: John L. | October 02, 2007 at 03:10 PM
Patrick, you are correct about Washington State having lots of renewable energy and electricity to sell to California (mostly because of the number of jobs lost). Washington State does not need V2G because they of an adequate generating supply.
Of course that is exactly my point. Building California's generating capacity in Washington State (and Oregon, Neveda, Idaho, Montana, ect) ensures enough electricity must makes sense to someone.
John L, tell me more about your PV systems. Like how much it cost, what the capacity is, how old the system is, and how much subsidy did the state pay for you to get $300/yr back.
I always like smug Pius owners look stupid.
Posted by: Kit P | October 02, 2007 at 04:14 PM
RMI is beating a dead horse.
They desperately want to license their carbon fiber process, but it's clear no automaker's interested.
Carbon fiber remains too expensive at this time to compete with steel & aluminum for vehicle bodies.
Posted by: Bill | October 02, 2007 at 06:00 PM
@ Kit P.:
"I always like smug Pius owners look stupid."
You had better practice in the mirror, first. :^)
Posted by: John L. | October 02, 2007 at 09:15 PM
Amory Lovins was publsihing his small is beautiful and Noble Savage rubbish in the 1970s.
Posted by: Stan Peterson | October 03, 2007 at 09:58 PM
Poor Stan - so envious and marginalized. It must be rough having lived your whole life and having no one admire you or pay attention to you.
Does it make your little world a little better to insult people who have accomplished great things?
Posted by: jack | October 08, 2007 at 11:02 AM
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