New electric cars could double as home energy source
Thursday August 27, 2009
With such a strong national focus on clean, green energy, especially in light of the latest Labor conference, both consumer and electrician alike are finding that green power is the future of the industry.
That's why the latest news release from CSIRO's Low Emission Distributed Energy researchers has brought welcome news for both the electrician and the motor vehicle industry. These CSIRO researchers in conjunction with project partner SP AusNet are currently modifying hybrid electric vehicles to create mobile power units.
Hybrid vehicles are cars that can operate on either liquid fuel or electricity with researchers looking to create a dual purpose at the CSIRO's Engineering Facility in Clayton, Melbourne. The research is part of the CSIRO's distributed energy research in the Energy Transformed Flagship with the very first vehicle predicted to be finished by August 2009.
According to research, three standard Toyota Prius cars can be converted into plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) which will be powered by a private home's own energy system, effectively creating large battery for a home as well as getting the car further and over more distance, as explained by electronic engineer Chris Phyland.
"We will remove the Toyota battery pack already in the car and replace it with a battery pack which is five times larger. The vehicle is then fitted with a battery charger which will allow the car to plug into and charge with electricity from the grid."
"The car effectively becomes a power storage unit for the home," Phyland continued. "The car battery can be charged up at home, including from renewable energy sources, and then this power can be discharged to run appliances in the home, or it can be used for driving the vehicle.
To date, the PHEV is mainly suited to urban driving where city speed limits are generally restricted with the PHEV's suited to under 55 km/h speed limits. However, Phyland explained that these cars may also be suited for high speed highway driving conditions as well.
"Even driving over longer distances, the larger battery bank improves the performance of the car and cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions," Phyland added. "PHEV is not new technology in itself, but we are modifying it to support a completely unique application, that of using the car as a large mobile battery which can be integrated and used in our homes."
Developments in this industry are creating further links between the role of an electrician and the green power available for future projects and housing developments.
Source: Electrical Solutions
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