Stabilization of the electrical network

V2G invented at UD

V2G technology was invented and developed at UD by Kempton and others in the 1990s as a result of federally funded research. This is the first example of the use of V2G technology in which it meets all standards and regulations for restoring energy to the grid in a bidirectional manner.

Kempton, which organized the collaborative effort, called the demonstration significant because it shows a viable path for standards-based, regulatory-compliant, mass-produced V2G.

“This pilot project is the final step to prove everything and enable V2G to scale for mass and large-scale production,” Kempton said. “All the stuff before was figuring out how to do it.”

V2G, along with other forms of battery storage and clean energy production such as wind and solar, have the potential to support the electric grid as demand and power demand continue to increase. In the future, car and fleet manufacturers will be able to produce V2G-ready vehicles with bi-directional charging, enabling wider adoption and participation. Vehicle or fleet owners would be compensated by the network operator for the electricity generated and sent back to the grid.

Delaware was the first state in the nation to change its regulations to allow electric vehicles to provide service to the grid. UD students and faculty played a key role in the policy changes needed to make this a reality.

UD researchers also played an important role in the development and adoption of key standards by SAE International (formerly known as the Society for Automotive Engineers) for V2G use in Delaware and throughout North America. UD’s Rodney McGee, who directs UD’s Center for Transportation Electrification, chaired the committee behind the change, working with automakers and charging station organizations.

“These standards define signaling to standardize low-cost AC charging, with all the features needed to safely support V2G and backup power from an electric vehicle. Both of these standards implement a signaling method that is new to electric vehicle charging, called LIN-CP, yet rely on easy-to-implement automotive technologies,” McGee said.

Today, electrical and computer engineers, computer scientists, policy researchers and UD students continue to advance V2G technology through the center’s research on the University’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) campus. It is a training ground that equips students to think outside the box and create solutions that can power the world of clean energy.

For example, UD students involved in the center are helping to develop, program and test software and hardware improvements for V2G-equipped vehicles. Other UD students are working to advance policy provisions at the federal and state levels that enable the use of V2G technologies and SAE standards in electric vehicles providing grid services in Maryland and Pennsylvania, expanding on work currently presented in Delaware.