Smart Electric Car Owners

Smart Charging Option for Electric Car Owners

Posted on May 1st, 2009 by admin

One of the issues with a massive rollout of electric vehicle hasbeen the question of how much this will tax the aging electricalgrid. One possible solution that may help take the burden offduring peak hours is smart charging.

The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a smart chargercontroller that will be useful for both plug-in hybrid electricvehicles (PHEVs) and all battery electric vehicles (BAVs). With thesmart charger, consumers can reduce the burden on the power gridand save money at the same time.

The smart charger can be set to start its work during off-peakhours, say 1 am, when typically there is more electricity on thegrid than is needed and when electrical rates are at theirlowest.

The system developed by the DOE also uses wireless technology toshop around for the cheapest prices for a particular time of day.Now, smart charging may not be a panacea for the electrical gridbut it surely will help and will be another reason for consumers tobuy EVs when they can charge their cars for pennies on thedollar.