A special 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid will be testing ground for a new vehicle-to-grid system that could be the next step in electric vehicle technology.
The experimental demonstration project could help drivers use electric power more efficiently, Edmunds.com reported.
In the vehicle-to-grid system, the car is equipped with a bi-directional onboard charger that lets the battery charge both to and from the electrical grid. Receiving signals from the grid through a communication device, the vehicle can control charges or discharges of energy following the signals.
The vehicle discharges more power when it is requested by the grid and proactively charges its battery when the grid has more energy than needed.
"Electric vehicle owners potentially benefit from supporting a more stable power grid, which can lead to reduced utility costs for the vehicle owner," Honda said.
While no one knows yet when the technology could be implemented into production, the concept has been lauded by scientists as a less expensive way to store energy. Since electric cars' batteries have already been purchased, storing energy would be cheaper.
Honda is collaborating with the University of Delaware and NRG Energy for the project.
"Most of the time, a car is just sitting around doing nothing," the MIT Technology Review said in a 2009 paper on the subject. "For short-term storage--needed to smooth out fluctuations in power from a wind turbine, for example--a utility could quickly charge a car (or, ideally, distribute a little charge to hundreds or thousands of cars) when the wind is blowing and then take that electricity back a few minutes later when the wind dies down. The more cars that are available, the more energy can be stored."
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