Will Car Owners Get Paid to Plug In?

The idea of an all-electric car has many of us sitting up and paying
close attention; Leaf, IMiEV, Think, Mini, Tesla, etc.

However, the idea of Big Brother having free access to the battery is a
sobering thought... just how is it that He/they would know when I'm
going to use the car and how much of I charge I'll need is beyond me.

There is already an understandable general "range anxiety" about how
far EVs will go on a full charge. Range reductions are a reality
depending on cabin/battery heating and cooling requirements, etc. So,
getting started on the day with less than a full battery is a non-starter.

Besides, most EVs will be charged at night; low grid load, low cost.
Highest grid load is during the day, when the car is probably parked at
a public parking garage where for the foreseeable future there are
scant few opportunities to recharge -- except, maybe, in a very select
few cases in CA or OR.

All in all, this is an interesting, but unattractive idea. Fortunately, it will
take the utilities and municipalities quite a few years to be in a
position to implement it.

 

At least in our area, big brother already has that type of access.
Our utility company can turn on and off our AC in the summer during high usage periods.
There has been some talk of the ability of utilities to turn off high electrical use devices in the event of impending outages.

My guess is, the only way this would work for EVs is for the utility to use power during the day and recharge the battery before the user next needs it. In my case, it is not unusual for the car to sit in the garage for a full day or two at a time. So this would be a good deal for me, as long as they recharge what they take before I need it.

Tricky? Yes, but not insurmountable.

 

Many here on the board have photo voltaic solar panels. Although SOME counties/state's utility companies pay for your surplus, not all do. The point is, if SOLAR folks can't even get paid, it'll likely be a LONG LONG time before EV's and/or plug in's get paid for surplus.

That said, it's not a new idea. But like the solar panel array ... you can't just go down to the local hardware store ... buy a few electronics, and tie your Prius into the grid. The power inverters that switch a car's DC power into usable AC house current, have to be able to automatically turn off, should the grid go down. Otherwise, you car could be backfeeding power onto the grid. That could potentially destroy utility company equipment, or kill some poor lineman who's trying to get your block back up and running.

There are already quite a few folks out there using the Prius as a sort of "backup generater" - little ones and big ones ... turning on whether you pull power from the little auxilary battery, or the traction pack. Here's a great web site that talks about the Prius as a power supply:
The Correct Answer

Yes, you COULD feed the grid ... but it'll take an experience electrical contractor, and permits from your utility, city/and or county. No small undertaking.

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