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Electric Cars Get Jolt from GM Project

General Motors and the Electric Power Research Institute have partnered on a project to promote the integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with the electrical grid.

Plug-in hybrids run on battery power for short trips, but include an engine to recharge the batteries for extended trips. For most commutes the plug-in hybrid will use battery power only, burning no fuel at all, while on long trips the plug-in hybrid should have a fuel economy similar to today’s hybrid vehicles. The cost of running on battery power is currently about one-fifth the cost of fueling with gasoline.

The question is how to recharge these vehicles without straining the electrical grid? One solution is to recharge them during off-peak hours. This so-called “smart charging” was demonstrated by GridPoint and Duke Energy in late March. The vehicles could also serve as an emergency power source, or they could provide supplemental power to the electrical grid during peak demand periods, such as unusually hot days.

The new collaboration between GM and EPRI will cover everything from codes and standards to grid capability of plug-in hybrids. While the collaboration will largely focus on safe and convenient vehicle charging, it will also examine how “smart grid” technologies can interact with plug-in hybrids. A smart grid is more interactive than today’s electrical grid and could network with plug-in hybrids to optimize their charging times or to draw power from them when needed.

Thirty-four utilities from throughout the country will participate in the collaboration. GM is currently developing two plug-in hybrids: the Chevrolet Volt, which has been approved for production in 2010, and the Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid, which the company also intends to launch in 2010. EPRI also began a similar project with Ford Motor Company earlier this year.

Although electric vehicles produce no pollution while running, they depend on an electric power system that does produce pollution. Still, a study released last year by EPRI and the Natural Resources Defense Council found that plug-in hybrids have significant environmental benefits. In fact, the widespread adoption of the vehicles could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 450 million metric tons per year by 2050, equal to removing 82.5 million of today’s cars from the road. The study also found that if plug-in hybrids achieve 60% of the market for new cars by 2050, they will still consume only 7-8% of the nation’s electricity.