Girding the grid for EVs

Public electric utilities such as Detroit Edison have a vital role to play in cultivating the electric vehicle market.

Car batteries don't have to be housed in cars to be useful for electric vehicles. They can play an important role on the premises of electric utilities, storing extra juice for the increasing number of people plugging in electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs).

As Anthony F. Earley Jr. of DTE Energy noted April 12 at the SAE 2011 World Congress in Detroit, utilities must prepare for increased load on their systems. That is the case even though at Detroit Edison, a DTE Energy subsidiary, the average capacity factor on the grid today is in the mid-50% range, “so you can basically double the output of the grid. Capacity is not an issue” regarding the utility's overall ability to produce enough base electricity to meet the overall increase in demand expected from greater use of EVs, Earley declared.