PG&E and Tesla partner on V2G

Tesla isn't dead yet

Over the last few months, a few knowledgeable sources have told me that Tesla Motors is having problems, and that delivery of already ordered Roadsters could be significantly delayed. Ultimately, this doesn't surprise me greatly. It's not as if Tesla is producing toasters, they are producing some of the most advanced automobiles ever produced.

Fortunately, even if Tesla is having problems they are still moving forward, and they have now partnered with PG&E on Vehicle 2 Grid (V2G) technology. Sadly, the two are only partnering on one way charging, or Smart Charging, as PG&E calls it - at least for now.

"We are focusing our initial V2G implementation on smart charging," said JB Straubel, Chief Technology Officer, Tesla Motors. "Smart charging is a form of V2G in which the vehicle does not provide power back to the grid. Instead, the vehicle charging rate is controlled remotely in order to support the operation of the grid or to best match load to the availability of intermittent renewable energy resources such as wind and solar."

In the long run, it is hoped that V2G technology will enable electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles to not just smart charge, but to actually pump electricity back into the grid, thereby making the cost of electricity cheaper for such vehicles.

A Prius as a backup generator for your home?

I just got around to reading the article, A Plug-In Prius that Powers Your House, which talks about a PGandE program that would enable plug-in hybrids to essentially serve as backup generators during blackouts, etc. Even more interesting, PGandE - the Nation's largest electric utility - is having discussions with Toyota about producing plug-in hybrid vehicles. While I believe that plug-in hybrids are still a couple of years away from mass production, I think it is now inevitable that they will be mass produced, which is simply spectacular news.