Toyota To Place 10 Prius PHEVS in Boulder, Colo., Smart Grid Program
By John O'Dell October 20, 2009
The city of Boulder, Colo., and its power provider, Xcel Energy, have launched a long-term "smart grid" project and Toyota Motor Co. wants to be a player.
Toyota's prototype Prius Plug In Hybrid pictured in Japan last year.
----------
The Prius PHEVs are part of a fleet of 500 of the cars to be placed into service around the globe in 2010 as Toyota begins testing for possible retail sales of a hybird with extended all-electric range and rechargeable batteries.
First Smart Grid City
Xcel has begun what it calls the SmartGridCity project in Boulder, making the university city - already one of the greenest in the nation - into the world's first smart grid enabled municipality.
The utility has installed meters and telemetry that can let homeowners and Xcel know how much electricity they are consuming at any time and, if regulatory approval is granted, will enable Xcel to offer low-price nighttime EV charging rates to owners of vehicles - such as the Prius PHEVs - with rechargeable batteries.
But wait! There's more.
Xcel's smart grid also is designed to handle fluctuating supplies of renewable energy from wind and solar systems (the utility installed improved switching equipment to balance the loads) and to accept power stored in EV and PHEV batteries during times of high demand when those vehicles are plugged into the grid..
The system isn't scheduled to be completed until sometime next year, but Xcel already has installed 16,000 smart meters and 200 miles of fiber-optic cable that link the meters to the utility and the individual residences and businesses.
Toyota's Role
Toyota's role in the program is to provide the 10 Prius PHEVs so their usage and charging patterns can be studied in a research project under the auspices of the newly formed Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The institute is a joint venture of the university and the federal Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in nearby Golden, Colo.
Toyota is a member of the institute's advisory council.
The automaker also will be able to use the test to gather data on altitude and cold weather impacts on the performance of its first generation lithium-ion battery.
The Prius PHEVS going to Boulder are part of a fleet of 150 of the cars that will be shipped to the U.S. early next year for distribution to a number of test programs around the country.
Toyota says the cars will use lithium-ion batteries that can deliver up to 12 miles of all-electric travel including all-electric travel at highway speeds, a first for a Toyota hybrid. The extended travel on battery power only will help boost the PHEVs' overall fuel economy.
LEAVE A COMMENT
The smartest grid is getting off the grid. We have way too many 1,000's of miles of powerlines criss-crossing the country as it is. Bunch of dumb vulnerable eyesores.
Instead of trying to network everyone and shift the loads from one region to another, just stick a panel on my roof or "Dad's Nuke" in my garage and I'll charge my own batteries.
A "panel on the roof" is great if you live somewhere that gets huge amount of sunshine and you only want to use your car once a month.
I have a few panels and they make good science projects but little practical sense.
Maybe someday.
ADD A COMMENT