Smart Charging And Vehicle-To-Grid: Overcoming Challenges In Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles (EVs) offer a promising pathway to sustainable transportation, but enhancing their efficiency involves addressing some crucial technical challenges. One potential solution is to delay charging until off-peak hours, given that vehicles often remain connected to chargers longer than necessary.
According to research, it's theoretically feasible to pause charging during peak times and resume it later without the user noticing. This is because the time vehicles spend connected to chargers exceeds the actual charging time required. However, Brinkel, a researcher in this field, highlights a significant issue: many older and even some newer EV models enter 'sleep mode' during a charging pause, preventing them from restarting the charge automatically.
As a workaround, current charging stations opt to reduce charging speed during peak hours instead of pausing, even for EV models capable of handling pauses. This limitation curtails the effectiveness of smart charging by half, as Brinkel points out. To address this, he advocates for establishing technical standards for smart charging that all new EV models should adhere to before they hit the road.
Moreover, an advanced form of smart charging, known as 'Vehicle-to-Grid', allows vehicles to return electricity to the power grid. However, this capability is currently limited to a few EV models, and compatible charging stations are also required for it to work effectively.
The implications of these technologies are significant. By adopting standardized smart charging and vehicle-to-grid systems, EVs could significantly alleviate grid load during peak times and even support the grid by feeding electricity back. This could lead to more efficient energy use and potentially lower energy costs.
Nevertheless, there are still hurdles to overcome. The primary challenges include ensuring widespread compatibility of charging stations and EV models with these technologies and addressing the technical limitations of existing vehicle models.