| From: Eric | 3/29/2023 8:42:37 AM | | | | | | Electric vehicles: Batteries on wheels can make grid smaller, says network owner
Giles Parkinson 29 March 2023 6
The owner of the electricity network in the Australian Capital Territory, which has already reached “net 100 per cent” renewables, says the growth of electric vehicles and “vehicle to grid” technology will mean that large amounts of wind and solar can be supported with less infrastructure.
EvoEnergy, which owns and operates about 50,000 power poles and more than 5,000 kms of overhead and underground cables in the ACT, has been hosting a landmark trial of V2G technology over the past two years, featuring 51 Nissan Leaf EVs.
The trial is significant because V2G technology is seen as a potential key component of a future grid where wind and solar is providing the bulk, if not all, of the electricity supply, and demand needs are being managed by short and long duration storage.
While much of the public debate around storage is focused on stationary batteries, pumped hydro and other forms of long duration storage, many believe that EVs, effectively batteries on wheels, can be a key player because the potential resource is huge.
“You can be in a circumstance where where there is a shortfall, and so you’ve got quite a big demand happening at a particular time,” says Peter Billing, the general manager of EvoEnergy.
“If you can draw in, you know, EVs, vehicle to grid vehicles or batteries to tap into to take the edge of that peak, then we don’t need to build as much infrastructure.”
The idea of EVs acting as a grid back-up would have seemed bizarre just a decade ago, and it probably still is for some. But Billing says that network owners are now moving forward, to see how they can embrace the new technologies, including rooftop solar, battery storage, demand management and EVs.
“I think that 10 years ago, networks were kind of thinking ‘what’s happening to our network,” Billing told RenewEconomy. “Whereas now we just see (these assets) as part of the network. What we are doing is still learning, though.”
Billing says the beauty of bi-directional charging will be its ability to turn EVs into an asset rather than a liability, feeding power back into the grid rather than drawing down at peak times.
A lot of this will depend on how tariffs and other incentives are created. For instance, in Canberra in winter the peak demand often happens during daytime hours. And if it has been cloudy, it might make more sense to encourage EV owners to charge their vehicles overnight, when there is often a lot of wind energy.
“So in winter we might be promoting people to be charging at night when the peak might be lower than it would be during the day,” Billing says.
“So with all these technologies evolving evolving over over the next few years, the proliferation of batteries, general storage and vehicle to grid, what does that equation look like. What does the grid need to look like to be able to manage that?”
Billing says it is entirely possible that – as new rooftop solar systems are required to have smart inverters capable of being “orchestrated” by the market operator (i.e, switched off if there is too much rooftop solar output), he says V2G may also become a requirement.
That is many years down the track, considering that V2G is now only possible with older style charging infrastructure known as Chademo, and the V2G standards for CCS charging infrastructure prevalent is yet to be finalised.
It will also require EV makers to introduce that technology on their cars, and for the costs of V2G charging hardware to dramatically reduce so there is a clear and obvious return on investment for both the household and the network or market operators.
Todd Eagles, the head of strategic energy deployments at ActewAGL, the local energy utility, says V2G have proved in their trials that can act like a “swiss army knife” for the grid.
“There is functionality to serve the national energy market, to helps support DNSPs (local network owners), all the way down through to the consumer,” Eagles said.
“The opportunity really is unlocking what priorities are going to be in place in terms of whether it’s a frequency service, a demand response service, or arbitrage from solar in the middle of the day to that evening.
“Doing frequency control is the most difficult thing that we could have selected for this project. But that gives us the ability to send the right signal to the charging market and the vehicle market, and to policy makers across Australia that the capability exists there.
“And because it is like a Swiss Army knife of a Swiss army knife it can be used at every layer across the the energy ecosystem.”
ACT energy minister Shane Rattenbury says the Realising Electric Vehicles to Grid Services (REVS) trial – which used 51 Nissan Leafs – with all but one part of the local government fleet – shows that EVs can play a vital tole in supporting our energy grid and in boosting energy security.
“In the future, we hope this can extend to Canberrans’ privately owned electric vehicles, providing EV owners with the opportunity to send energy stored in their car’s on-board battery back into their own homes or the electricity grid,” he said in a statement.
“South Australia has proven it is possible after becoming the first jurisdiction in Australia to approve a network connection of V2G services in a residential setting.”
See also: V2G charging costs to plummet
reneweconomy.com.au |
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| From: Eric | 3/29/2023 10:23:01 AM | | | | | | EnerVenue announces non-lithium battery gigafactory in Kentucky
With generous incentives from Shelby County and the state of Kentucky, EnerVenue plans to invest in a one-million square-foot facility to produce metal-hydrogen batteries.
March 28, 2023 Anne Fischer
battery Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Kentucky
A rack of EnerVenue nickel-hydrogen Energy Storage Vessels.
Image: EnerVenue
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EnerVenue, a nickel-hydrogen battery development company, announced that it will open a one million square foot gigafactory on a 73-acre site in Shelby County, Kentucky, where it will design, manufacture and test its nickel-hydrogen Energy Storage Vessels.
The first phase of the project will provide 450 full-time jobs and is aiming for 1 GWh of annual production. EnerVenue says it expects to invest in excess of $1 billion to expand to more than 20 GWh per year across its domestic manufacturing sites in subsequent phases. The company currently has manufacturing facilities in Fremont, Calif.
“Locating EnerVenue’s gigafactory in Kentucky is a win for the commonwealth,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. “Our leadership has prioritized bringing high-quality jobs to the region and this is yet another example of those efforts paying dividends.”
Shelby County offered EnerVenue a generous 25-year incentive package that includes property and wage tax rebates totaling $20 million. The state of Kentucky also offered EnerVenue more than $10.3 million in tax incentives for the first phase of the company’s ramp up. The tax rebates are intended to support growth in the county and incentivize future development as the gigafactory expands and adds additional jobs.
“As customer interest in EnerVenue’s storage technology soars, we’re excited to significantly scale battery production with our new state-of-the-art gigafactory in Shelby County,” said Jorg Heinemann, chief executive officer of EnerVenue. “Following a nationwide vetting process, Kentucky emerged as the ideal fit to build our new facility. The state and county governments were committed to bringing manufacturing and clean energy jobs to the region, and we look forward to working with them as we build out operations.”
EnerVenue, established in 2020, uses a nickel-hydrogen technology originally developed for aerospace applications. In 2017, Stanford researchers redesigned the nickel-hydogen vessel, moving it toward commercialization by improving performance and reducing cost. EnerVenue claims costs per kilowatt-hour for its nickel-hydrogen batteries as low as one penny, and capital expenditure costs are better than lithium-ion battery cells. The company raised $125 million in a December 2021 Series A equity offering from Schlumberger, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures and Stanford University, and advised by Barclays. The funding round follows an earlier $12 million seed round that year.
What further sets nickel-hydrogen apart from lithium-ion is that the EnerVenue batteries excel in extreme heat and extreme cold. The company said its batteries operate best in ambient temperatures from -40 F to 140 F. The battery purportedly comes with no risk of fire or thermal runaway and includes no toxic materials, so it is also recyclable.
The company claims that its batteries have a more than 30-year lifespan, can go through more than 30,000 cycles without experiencing degradation and offer exceptional overcharge, over-discharge, and deep-cycle capabilities. In October 2022 the company announced Capacity Assurance, which offers a 20-year/20,000-cycle warranty extension at no less than 88% capacity. While the batteries are designed to last 30 years, EnerVenue says that the extended warranty covers a project while it’s in its most critical payback phase and is offered with no hidden exclusions and simple operating terms.
EnerVenue reports that it has more than 7 GWh of customer commitments, including from Pine Gate Renewables, Nicon Industries’ Green Energy Renewable Solutions, and Schlumberger New Energy, among others.
pv-magazine-usa.com |
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| From: Eric | 3/29/2023 1:19:52 PM | | | | | | JD Power: Suitable EVs Available This Year For 50% Of US Car Buyers
If car buyers want an EV, a majority should be able to find something that suits their needs, budget, and brand choice this year.
insideevs.com |
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| From: Eric | 3/29/2023 2:52:54 PM | | | | | | How one country set aside nearly $500M for electric vehicle subsidies, but not for cars
 Micah Toll | Mar 29 2023 - 6:22 am PT
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The age of electric vehicles is upon us, and has been for years now. Electric cars have received most of the attention, but in many countries, it is actually electric two-wheelers like e-motorcycles and e-bikes that are silently revolutionizing the way people commute.
As people become increasingly aware of the economic, environmental, and health benefits of e-motorcycles, especially in countries that are dominated by two-wheeled transportation, more individuals and governments have begun embracing them as an alternative to traditional combustion cars and motorcycles.
Indonesia is one such country, and its government has already made significant strides in urging its citizens toward electric motorcycle adoption.
Motorcycle use in Indonesia is exceptionally prevalent, making it an indispensable mode of transportation for millions of people. In fact, while there are only around 20 million cars in the country, Indonesia is home to around 125 million motorcycles.
As the world’s fourth most populous country, Indonesia’s dense urban areas and underdeveloped public transportation systems have led to a surge in motorcycle ownership and usage. Motorcycles serve as a cost-effective, convenient, and time-saving alternative to cars, which often struggle to navigate through traffic-congested streets. In recent years, the rise of motorcycle taxi services, known as “ojek,” has further cemented the importance of motorcycles in Indonesia’s daily life. These motorcycle taxis provide essential transportation services to countless individuals while also offering employment opportunities for many drivers. Overall, motorcycles have become deeply ingrained in Indonesian culture, shaping both the urban landscape and the everyday lives of its citizens.
But with the masses of motorcycles thronging Indonesian streets has also come huge emissions problems. And so Indonesia has recently pushed hard to convert its massive 125 million fleet of motorcycles toward electrification.
A fleet of Zero electric motorcycles used by Indonesian police
Late last year the country announced a plan to put 2 million electric motorcycles on the road in the next three years. To help expedite that massive movement toward emissions-free motorcycles, Indonesia has now announced 7 trillion rupiahs (approximately US $460M) in subsidies for electric motorcycle purchases through the end of next year.
Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati expected the subsidies to cover sales of around 800,000 new electric motorcycles as well as the conversion of 200,000 combustion engine motorcycles to electric drive.
The move is designed to jump-start the adoption of electric motorcycles, especially in light of the rather small number currently in the country. According to the Association of the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry, there were just over 30,000 electric motorbike owners in the country as of October 2022.
That puts electric motorcycles at a fraction of a percent of total motorcycles, though the Indonesian government has been promoting electrification of motorcycles on many fronts.
This new subsidy marks the government’s strongest push yet, but it follows other efforts, such as the approval of a pilot partnering with Gogoro’s swappable battery electric scooters, as well as using fleets of electric motorcycles from Zero Motorcycles, Energica, Gogoro, and NIU during the recent G20 summit.
Electric motorcycles may only make up a tiny fraction of overall motorcycles in Indonesia today, but with nearly a half billion US dollars in subsidies, that figure is sure to grow considerably.
electrek.co |
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| From: Eric | 3/30/2023 8:00:56 AM | | | | | | J.D. Power: EV price pressure grows as government incentives and lease deals wield outsized influence on consumer demand
30 March 2023
Due to a steady increase in availability of new models, expanded price mix within existing models and widening eligibility of federal and state incentives, acquisition cost is starting to fade as a hurdle to EV adoption, according to J.D. Power.
According to the J.D. Power EV Index ( earlier post), a new, advanced analytics tool that tracks the progress to parity of EVs with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in the United States, this steady decline in price mixed with surging availability is setting the stage for a new era of EV price wars.
Total EV market share has now reached 8.5%, nearly double the share of a year ago. The trend is consistent with steady growth in availability and affordability. The J.D. Power EV Index score for availability climbed sharply to 39.4 (on a 100-point scale) in January 2023 from 35 in December 2022, meaning approximately four-in-ten new vehicle shoppers currently have a viable alternative to ICE vehicles.
Overall affordability has also improved by a similar margin, rising to 85.6 in January. Once the overall affordability index reaches 100, EVs will have reached price parity with their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts.
At the current trajectory, J.D. Power projects that approximately half of all vehicle shoppers nationwide will have a viable EV option available to them by the end of 2023. By the end of 2026, that number is expected to surpass 75%.
The strong influence of consumer price sensitivity on EV consideration and adoption is on vivid display across several data points in this month’s J.D. Power EV Index. The first evidence can be seen in consumer interest in the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Tesla Model Y following the reclassification of both vehicles as SUVs, which made them eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, both manufacturers recently announced significant price cuts on both models.
Consumers responded immediately with a 3.4 percentage point increase in consideration in the Mustang Mach-E and a 1.6 percentage point increase in consideration in the Model Y.
J.D. Power finds a clear correlation between the states with biggest government incentives and consumer EV adoption rates. In California, for example, which currently has an adoption score of 45 (highest in the nation), state tax credits on the purchase or lease of a new EV is $2,000 for cars and $4,500 for trucks, SUVs and vans. Similarly, Oregon, which has an adoption score of 36, currently offers a $2,500 credit on EVs with a retail price at or below $50,000 and a $5,000 credit for EVs that meet certain battery size requirements, making many EV drivers in Oregon eligible for upwards of $7,500 in state rebates. J.D. Power sees similar trends in Colorado, New York and New Jersey where state-level EV incentives have had a significant influence on adoption.
The culmination of these trends taken together is a steady downward pressure on the price of EVs relative to their ICE counterparts. This is a significant turning point from the early days in the EV marketplace when the few viable models available were priced above $100,000. Now, due to federal incentives introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act and growing vehicle supply, prices of many models are trending lower.
The best examples of this trend are the Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV. With incentives, the total cost of ownership of a new Bolt is now just $26,200, down $6,600 from December of last year. Likewise, the Bolt EUV has seen its total cost of ownership fall to $30,900. As this trend continues, J.D. Power says it expects to see continued pricing pressure on new models driving increased competition in the EV market.
Posted on 30 March 2023 in Behavior, Electric (Battery), Market Background
greencarcongress.com |
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| From: Eric | 3/30/2023 8:09:57 AM | | | | | | Two EVs at Plymouth State University delivered 1 MWh over 6 months with Fermata Energy bidirectional charging platform
29 March 2023
Two Nissan LEAF electric vehicles (EVs) at the Plymouth State University (PSU) provided 1 MWh of energy to the PSU’s ALLWell Center, offsetting some of the building’s electricity needs, over a six-month period.
The university is taking part in an utility rate program developed by its local utility New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), electrification software provider Bellawatt, and Fermata Energy.
The program at PSU brings together EVs, a bidirectional EV charging system, and advance notice on hourly electricity pricing—called a Transactive Energy Rate (TER)—enabling the university to make decisions easily about using the Nissan LEAF batteries as mobile energy storage assets.
Under the program, PSU sent energy stored in the EVs’ onboard batteries to offset the ALLWell Center’s building load for approximately 90 hours during a 6-month period.
Through the NHEC application, TER forecasts electricity pricing one day in advance. Daily alerts about the next day’s hour-by-hour electricity prices are sent by NHEC to Fermata Energy’s AI-powered bidirectional charging platform, which then analyzes those rates, simplifies the information, and advises PSU about times the vehicles can discharge the batteries to maximize value for the university. The university controls whether to discharge by parking the EVs and plugging them into the Fermata Energy bidirectional charger.
The day-ahead electricity pricing enables PSU to buy electricity from the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative at low prices and store that energy in the EV batteries. When the price of electricity is higher, PSU can then discharge the batteries and sell the energy back to NHEC. This is known as electricity arbitrage. The successful outcome of this hourly electricity pricing program creates a pathway for NHEC to compensate its members for power exported from Distributed Energy Resources, such as EV batteries and solar.
The Nissan LEAF is one of the few EVs currently on the road and able to participate in bidirectional charging. Fermata Energy’s bidirectional charging platform manages the EV’s state of charge, sends alerts to customers, and allows fleet owners to both charge and discharge EV batteries.
Until recently, commercial fleet EV operators could only use unidirectional chargers, meaning the power went from the grid to the EV, costing the EV owner money. Unidirectional charging is also an unpredictable electricity demand that utilities need to manage and plan for. Bidirectional charging changes that dynamic.
Fermata Energy’s platform can also monitor building load data, helping to manage electricity usage better. Fermata Energy has V2X bidirectional programs working in several New England utilities, including Green Mountain Power, Eversource, and Rhode Island Energy. These programs have proven effective at offsetting surging customer demand by dispatching power from customer-owned batteries.
Posted on 29 March 2023 in Electric (Battery), Market Background, V2X
greencarcongress.com
My comments:
The very first Tesla "big battery" in Australia has been doing this for years. It paid for itself in just a few years and is now a cash machine for the company that owns it. |
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| From: Eric | 3/30/2023 8:16:11 AM | | | | | | South Carolina to deploy 160 Proterra Powered electric school buses from Thomas Built Buses over the next year
30 March 2023
The South Carolina Department of Education will deploy 160 Thomas Built Buses (TBB) electric school buses in school districts across the state over the next year, under a new procurement finalized this month between the Department of Education and Thomas Built Buses dealer Interstate Transportation.
The Department of Education’s purchase of 160 new Proterra Powered Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school buses represents the single largest order of electric school buses funded entirely by the EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program to date.
Thomas Built Buses and Proterra offer school bus operators a comprehensive, turn-key electric vehicle program that includes EV planning and funding consultation, electric school buses, charging systems, and charging infrastructure design and installation.
The Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley couples 226 kWh of onboard energy from Proterra Powered’s battery technology to offer up to 135 miles of drive range to meet the needs of school bus fleets. With more than 300 TBB Proterra Powered electric school buses on the road, Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school buses have driven more than one million miles for school districts across North America.
Thomas Built Buses is currently the only school bus manufacturer to offer DC fast charging architecture as standard equipment. The Jouley can charge in about three hours and can supply power back to the grid using vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
Posted on 30 March 2023 in Bus, Electric (Battery)
greencarcongress.com |
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| From: Eric | 3/30/2023 8:34:46 AM | | | | | | Used Electric Vehicle Searches Shot Up 145% In February On Cars.com
Meanwhile, searches for new and used EVs (combined) have increased by 84 percent last month compared to February 2022.
insideevs.com |
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