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Quick Take: We remain skeptical about vehicle-to-grid. Why go to all the hassle, expense and risk when you can get 80% of the benefit just by smart charging? But not everyone agrees. Denmark has a V2G pilot underway.

And now Mitsubishi reveals that it will pilot a variation on the theme that I'll call vehicle-to-building. It will test the concept at one of its own manufacturing facilities in Nagoya, Japan. You still have to solve the problems of the damage to the batteries due to the extra charge/discharge cycles. But at least you don't have the many extra hassles of hooking up to the main grid. - By Jesse Berst

The three companies, Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp., are planning to install a test facility at the Nagoya Works of Mitsubishi Motors. The project, referred to as V2X, will include setting up a parking lot with a solar panel-covered roof and several devices for converting DC power from the charging outlets which will be converted to AC  and supplied to factories.

The project's primary focus is to develop technology that can be used in offices, factories and similar business settings. The V2X pilot is expected to begin in March 2012.

EVs to take a bigger chunk of the vehicle market

In related news, Pike Research says sales of hybrid EVs(HEVs), plug-ins (PHEVs) and battery electrics (BEVs) will claim a larger share of the vehicle market, with PHEVs and BEVs reaching 5.2 million units by 2017 (compared to 114,000 in 2011). In the same time frame, HEV sales will grow to 8.7 million for a total of 13.9 million.

But Pike's report, Electric Vehicle Market Forecasts, also notes that while EV sales will grow, the rate will still represent a fairly small share of the total auto market with PEVs and HEVs claiming 3% of light-duty vehicles sales by 2017. North America is expected to have a somewhat higher adoption rate – 4.9%.

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.

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