A new technology called the Smart Charger Controller has been developed at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). It simplifies electrical vehicle charging while saving money and protecting the grid against outages.

The Smart Charger Controller automatically recharges electric vehicles during times of least cost to the consumer and lower demand for power. The inventors claim that widespread use of the device could help advance a smart power grid.

"If a million owners plug in their vehicles to recharge after work, it could cause a major strain on the grid," said PNNL engineer, Michael Kintner-Meyer. "The Smart Charger Controller could prevent those peaks in demand from plug-in vehicles and enable our existing grid to be used more evenly."

The efficiency translates to a more stable grid and cheaper power, with savings of approximately $150 a year for electric vehicle owners.

A previous PNNL study showed that America's existing power grid could meet the needs of about 70% of all US light-duty vehicles, if battery charging was managed to avoid new peaks in electricity demand. The Smart Charger Controller does just that. Owners can program it to charge at a specific time of day or night or at a set price point. The Smart Charger Controller uses a low-range wireless technology to communicate with the power grid and to determine the best and cheapest time to recharge vehicles. By charging vehicles during off-peak times, the Smart Charger Controller saves consumers money.


-  Katrice R. Jalbuena

---

Sources:

¹ http://www.pnl.gov/news/release.asp?id=365
² http://www.pnl.gov/