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Ford partners with utilities on plug-in impact on the grid

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Ford announced a three-year agreement to develop and evaluate technical approaches for integrating plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the US electric grid.

EPRI will marshal a group of utilities in the New York-New Jersey area to test Ford Escape PHEVs. Subsequent trials will be conducted with customers of the utilities.

Ford, which is also working with Southern California Edison (SCE), claims to be the first automotive manufacturer to partner with utilities on PHEVs. The new program will help determine regional differences in how PHEV operation will impact the electricity grid.

Mark Duvall, EPRI’s program manager for electric transportation, said: "This effort should accelerate the pace of PHEV development while enabling the utility industry to prepare for the introduction of these vehicles.”

Ford is building 20 Escape PHEVs for testing in the Los Angeles area under the Ford-SCE partnership.

“EPRI brings our collaborative efforts related to the potential of plug-in electric vehicle technology to a new level,” said Nancy Gioia, director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies at Ford.

The evaluation and demonstration trials should provide information that will enable the development of common standards among utilities to accommodate the vehicles. “Expanding on the work Ford and SCE are doing can help move the automotive and utility industries closer in addressing the challenges of our transportation future,” said Ed Kjaer, director of Electric Transportation at SCE.

EPRI, Ford and SCE’s research and analysis on the Ford PHEVs will include data from four primary areas: battery technology, vehicle systems, customer usage, and grid infrastructure. The analysis will also explore possible stationary and secondary usages for advanced batteries.

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