User:Jmesserly/hybrid vehicle integration into grid

Plug in hybrids and other electric vehicles will benefit from communication with the electrical grid. Two benefits are vehicle metering, and Vehicle-to-grid power management for local power stabilization, and peak power needs. Vehicle metering is useful for certain incentive programs such as Financing Electric vehicles through surcharge repaid loans. This article describes technical aspects of such a scheme.

The mechanism of communication could be via a variety of communication means to a device, that could be integrated into the power company meter, or might be more distant- at the central offices. Such communication means include but are not limited to wireless-G, IP over powerline, or proprietary cellular using automotive communications modules such as those from Wavecom.

Example Embodiment: For the purposes of discussion, we shall assume that there is a device at each meter that identifies the customer's ID via IP over powerline. The electric company's central office may communicate at any time to the vehicle via cellular to a WaveCom 150 module running on narrow spectrum allocated to the local utility. The vehicle has a unique identifier, and each electricity company service account has a unique ID. When the vehicle makes a power connection to the electrical service, both the service and the vehicle may authenticate the other entity through an encrypted handshake. Any number of encryption mechanisms may be used, but for the purposes of discussion, it is proposed that a downloadable security algorithm would run on a secure processor using 512 digit private and public keys. The vehicle is concieved of as a plug in hybrid using conventional chemical batteries such as Lithium Ion or Nickel Cadmium, but could be any electrical storage device including ceramic capacitance batteries such as those from EEstor, or rechargable fuel cells.

Operational walk through: When plugged in to a power source, both the  the identity of the electrical service and the vehicle are mutually validated. The vechicle transmits the connection details to the central office, and permission to recharge at that service is either granted or denied. The central office records the power accessed for billing to the vehicle owner. Further, the central office has access to the vehicles battery storage for local grid stabilization or peak power needs.

Robustness- because cellular communication is used, massively distributed vehicle to grid energy resources may be tapped in an emergency. Vehicles can be instructed to shut down their power during power line maintenance. Note that this same function is needed for the supply to the grid of residential power generation such as solar or wind. This same mechanism could be piggeybacked to avoid the redundant installation of a similar mechanism in the home.