It’s no secret that EVs are cheaper to drive per mile than gas vehicles. If you’re driving a petrol-powered car, you’re paying more for your energy than the guy next to you in a Nissan Leaf. But, EVs could also house a golden goose that can actually make money for their owners.
It’s all about Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)
V2G is an ingenious way to fully utilize the capability of an EV. V2G isn’t about increasing range or improving charge times; V2G is a way for EV owners to make both money and a difference in the green scene.
When an EV is plugged in to the energy grid, either at home or at a public charging station, it pulls energy at whatever rate the utility company charges at that time of day (less at night, more during the day). But, imagine if the car-to-grid system knew when the car wasn’t going to be used again until the following day. It could actually sell back any remaining energy stored in the battery to the utility company—hopefully at the higher day rate—and wait to charge at lower nighttime rates.
Vehicles doing it now
Before the Chevy Volt came out, there was a lot talk from GM saying how they wanted the Volt’s battery to “have a life outside the car”. They said that the Volt would have V2G capability. However, since the launch we haven’t heard much more about that.
Interestingly, Nissan just recently showed off their plan to make the Leaf part of a V2G system in Japan. And it couldn’t come at a more critical time. Ever since the March disaster that took out the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant followed by several others for safety checks, there has been an enormous energy crisis. Nissan plans to take their V2G commercial by as early as spring 2012.
A lot of future potential
The whole idea of what an electric car can do is still evolving. GM got it right when saying the most valuable asset of an EV is the battery; there are a lot of uses during and after the car’s life. Much of the criticism for V2G comes from concern over using the batteries more often, thus reducing their life. But, as modern batteries become more advanced, some researchers are saying that the cells can still hold a charge for nearly 55 years—even after V2G. To what capacity is still unknown.
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