|
|
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Households with plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) and smart meters "actively managed" their vehicle based on electricity rates, but largely ignored online feedback designed to help them make decisions, a study from the University of Colorado Boulder discovered.
The smart grid-related study, conducted by the university's Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), took two years and involved 142 households equipped with smart meters. Toyota, the study sponsor, loaned 28 Prius PHVs and Xcel Energy installed smart plugs in study household garages. Participants shared the cars, each using them for nine weeks.
Here are some of the study's preliminary findings:
· About 90% of the households looked at the Web sites rarely, and some not at all.
· Not surprisingly, most of the households paying standard electric rates preferred to charge whenever they wanted to and those with time-of-use rates preferred the managed "set-it-and-forget-it" approach (although many thought managed charging was inconvenient).
· While electricity pricing was the strongest influence on charging decisions, time/cost and convenience also were considered important.
· Households were generally well-satisfied with the PHVs they drove, but not their short range
"Although households had access to online feedback on electricity use, we were surprised that most were not interested in using it to control their vehicle charging. However, households still actively managed their charging in other ways," said Barbara Farhar, RASEI principal investigator and senior research associate.
That statement should be familiar to companies operating in the home energy management market, which has been hampered by consumer indifference to devices like energy management consoles.
Also, some drivers charged the cars away from home. Study investigators are continuing to examine where and when that charging occurred based on vehicle data, an element of the study that should interest electric utilities anticipating more PHVs in their service areas.
While some of the study results surprised researchers, the findings are valuable. "The RASEI study demonstrates the importance of testing new technologies with real customers in everyday circumstances," said Bill Reinert, advanced technology vehicle national manager for Toyota. " The results are often unexpected but help us understand the needs of potential customers and how to successfully introduce advanced technologies to the market." 1 You might also be interested in ...
Got something to say about this article? Be the first to leave a comment!
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Talk Back
