Key Questions to Ask When Ordering dual power control system for electric vehicles

Battery electric vehicles have fewer components than a plug-in hybrid or an internal combustion engine vehicle, so they often have lower maintenance costs because they don't require fluid changes or tuneups. An analysis of EVs by CR found that EVs generally cost less to own over a typical ownership period than their equivalent gasoline-powered counterparts'although a less-reliable EV may end up needing pricey repairs, so be sure to choose a vehicle that scores highly on CR's reliability ratings.

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The cost of the electricity to charge an EV is almost always hundreds of dollars less per year than the fuel expense for a similar gas-powered vehicle. However, depending on where you live, how much you pay for electricity, and what kind of vehicle you're shopping for, it may take many years'if ever'for those savings to make up the difference between the purchase price of an EV and a similar hybrid vehicle. Our analysis shows that luxury vehicles and trucks tend to have a quicker payoff than smaller EVs.

Figuring out an EV's energy costs is a lot more complex than doing the same for a gas-powered car, but the Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center has an easy-to-use calculator at afdc.energy.gov/calc. Check out any local incentives that might make it cheaper to charge an EV at home overnight. You can also calculate how much you'll save if your home has solar power.

Maybe. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law last year, offers tax credits of up to $7,500 on new EVs and up to $4,000 on used EVs, but the rules can be complex. How much you'll get'if anything at all'depends on your income, where the car you purchased was manufactured, where its battery and electrical components came from, and how much it costs. These factors can change as automakers change prices, open new factories, or switch parts suppliers, so head to CR's EV incentive finder for the latest about tax credits, and read our guide to EV tax credits to learn more. If the car you're interested in doesn't qualify, consider leasing. You might be able to take advantage of a tax credit using a different method.

Your state or even your local utility company may have additional incentives or discounts, too. There are also federal, state, and local incentives that can significantly reduce the cost of installing a charger at home.

If you're considering an electric vehicle, you should think about leasing instead of buying. Although the market for EVs is changing rapidly and unpredictably, leasing offers some advantages.

You can qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax credit without meeting restrictive federal requirements on where an electric car was made, how much it costs, or how much a lessee makes. Because you lease for only a few years, you won't be stuck with a car that has outdated battery technology or charging standards, because these are still rapidly evolving. And if an automaker drops the price of a new EV by thousands of dollars overnight'as Ford recently did on the F-150 Lightning'you won't take the hit if your leased vehicle is suddenly worth less than it was the day before.

Chances are, you'll do the majority of your charging at home. In a fall Consumer Reports nationally representative survey of 943 Americans who say they own or lease EVs, we asked them to estimate what percentage of their charging happens at different locations on a typical week. On average, those who do any charging at home say that 64% of their charging happens at home; those who do any charging at public chargers do 31% of their charging there; and those who plug in at work at all do 30% of their charging there.

If you plan on charging at home, that usually means you'll need ready access to a 240-volt EV charger. These are available online through Amazon, Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sam's Club, among others, and we've tested the most popular models. The cost is typically $500 to $700. Unless you are pushing the range limit on a daily basis, you won't have to fill up your EV from empty all the way to full very often.

You'll need a professional electrician to install a Level 2 charger. An installation entails putting a special 240-volt receptacle, like the ones used for a clothes dryer, in your garage or near your driveway. You can also hardwire a charger, which may allow for quicker charging. Expect to pay about $500 to $1,200 for the work, plus $500 to $700 for the wall-mounted charging unit. Of course, costs will vary depending on your specific setup. Installing a charger in an older home that needs a wiring upgrade could cost thousands.

If you don't have a garage, don't worry: Nearly all chargers are weatherproof and waterproof and are designed to safely be installed outdoors. But if you don't own your own home and can't get permission to install a charger in your rental, or if you don't have off-street parking at all, you may be unable to install a charging station.

A few EVs, including the Ford F-150 Lightning, Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Rivian R1T, have built-in plugs that can provide short-term electric power for smaller household goods and appliances.

Although there are now more than 53,000 U.S. public charging locations, most of them are Level 2 chargers'the same kind you'd have installed at home'and take many hours to fully charge a battery (more on that below). 

If you're on a long road trip, you'll most likely want to charge at publicly accessible DC fast chargers. These are becoming more common, even if they aren't as ubiquitous or easy to use as gas stations. Most of them are available off major highways or at rest areas. 

How easy they are to use can often depend on what kind of vehicle you drive and brand of charger you're trying to use. Tesla owners have access to a wide network of Tesla Supercharger charging stations, and we have found that they make topping up a Tesla seamless, convenient, and relatively quick. Owners of other EVs rely on a patchwork of chargers that aren't always convenient to access, might not always charge rapidly, and usually require the user to fumble through an app or swipe a credit card to activate the charger. (Some'but not all'Tesla Superchargers are opening up to owners of EVs from other brands.) Nissan Leaf owners will have to search for a fast charger with a specific kind of plug, called CHAdeMO, which isn't used by any other new pure EV sold in the U.S. 

Many automakers have said their vehicles will be compatible with some Tesla Superchargers starting in . We're keeping a close eye on this development. 

Plugging in a vehicle can require more physical effort than gassing up a car, too, especially if you have to drag a heavy cord to reach the car's charging port. There are no 'full serve' charging stations, and because EVs have their charging ports installed in various places on the vehicle, not all chargers are conveniently set up for a charging cord to reach the outlet.

Before you go on a trip, download apps that can help, such as those from the ChargePoint and Electrify America charging networks. PlugShare is helpful for locating public chargers, too. Some vehicles have charging station data built into their navigation systems and can send you on a route that includes fast chargers. A Better Route Planner is a great smartphone app alternative that will help you plan trips with included charge stops. Always have a backup plan in case a charger isn't working or takes longer to charge than you expect.

If you charge at home, a typical 240-volt, 32-amp (Level 2) charger takes between 9 and 13 hours to fully charge an EV that can go more than 200 miles'about 25 to 30 miles of charge for every hour your vehicle is plugged in. A public Level 2 charger charges at the same rate but is appropriate for cases where people might spend a few hours at a restaurant or library or when parked at a train station, taking advantage of the opportunity to top off.  

Things get a lot more complex with DC fast chargers, which can typically charge a battery from 20 percent to 80 percent in about a half-hour, on average. Tesla's Superchargers are even quicker, with the speed varying by model, although many of them are open only to Tesla vehicles. Exactly how fast your EV charges depends on the size of the battery, how fast the car is able to take the charge, the amperage of the circuit, and even the weather.

In theory, chargers that can deliver up to 150 kW of power can add up to 9 miles of range per minute for some vehicles. Chargers that deliver up to 350 kW of power can add about 20 miles of range per minute'but only if the car has a compatible plug and is designed to accept ultra-fast charging. 

In other words, if you drive a Ford Mach-E, Kia Niro EV, or Chevrolet Bolt'none of which is designed to accept ultra-fast charging'don't bother searching for a 350-kW charger because your car can't charge at that speed. Instead, the car will limit the flow of electricity based on the car's max acceptance rate. For the example of the Mach-E, that's 115 kW, which means a 150-kW charger would've been plenty. Although a Porsche Taycan or Hyundai Ioniq 5 can take advantage of the faster chargers, these stations can be harder to find'and in higher demand'than a 150-kW charger.

In addition, big vehicles with big batteries'like the GMC Hummer EV and Ford F-150 Lightning'take longer to charge, just as conventional trucks and SUVs with big fuel tanks take longer to fill.

In our own evaluations, we observed that EVs charge faster at DC charging stations when the battery is low and gradually ramp down the charging speed. We also noticed variations in charging speeds between different locations even within the same network, and that charging often took longer than manufacturers' claims.

We've found that most electric cars deliver instant power from a stop, and they are both smooth and quiet when underway, which is very gratifying. Even the most affordable modern EVs can post 0-to-60-mph times that would put a gas-powered muscle car to shame.

The driving experience can be quite different from a traditional gasoline-fueled car. There's no transmission changing gears, and regenerative braking'which uses the car's momentum as it slows down or coasts to create extra electricity'can start slowing down the car as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator. You can usually adjust how aggressively an EV accelerates or how quickly its regenerative brakes slow down the vehicle. Many offer what's called 'one-pedal driving,' where the driver can speed up or slow down just by modulating the accelerator pedal.  

Despite their heavy batteries, EVs typically handle well because that battery is positioned low in the vehicle and there is no heavy engine over the front axle. Our testers often rave that many new EVs are very enjoyable to drive on our test track, even without the visceral thrum of a gas engine.

In cold weather, an EV's range can drop dramatically because of the limitations of battery chemistry and unique power demands, such as managing battery and cabin temperatures. In our tests, we found that cold weather saps between 25 and 32 percent of range when cruising at 70 mph compared with the same conditions in mild weather and warm weather, respectively. Even with air conditioning on, we found that 80° F weather was optimal for battery range.

Before you drive, you can warm up your car while it's still plugged in. That way, you won't have to use valuable battery capacity to heat up the car's interior, which would reduce range. Warming up your EV while it's plugged in will also keep the battery warm, which makes it easier to accept a fast charge while on the road.

If a pure EV doesn't fit your lifestyle but you still want to save money on fuel and reduce your use of fossil fuels, consider a hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicle. Hybrid vehicles combine a battery pack, an electric motor that drives the car at low speeds, and a gas engine that kicks in for higher speeds, climbing hills, or recharging the battery. They offer significant fuel savings and lowered emissions compared with a gas-powered car, and they don't ever need to be plugged in. However, they aren't as efficient as a pure EV of a comparable size. (Learn more about hybrids here.)

PHEVs can operate on electric power alone for anywhere from 15 miles to 50 miles. Once their battery power is depleted, plug-ins transition from running on mostly electricity to operating as regular hybrids and driving about as far as a regular car, and they can quickly refuel at any gas station. Some PHEVs even qualify for a tax credit. However, unless they are plugged in regularly, they may not be as efficient as a traditional hybrid. (Learn more about PHEVs here.)

Vehicle-to-grid, or V2G for short, is a technology that enables energy to be pushed back to the power grid from the battery of an electric vehicle (EV). With V2G technology, an EV battery can be discharged based on different signals ' such as energy production or consumption nearby.

V2G technology powers bi-directional charging, which makes it possible to charge the EV battery and take the energy stored in the car's battery and push it back to the power grid. While bi-directional charging and V2G are often used synonymously, there is a slight difference between the two.

While bi-directional charging means two-way charging (charging and discharging), V2G technology only enables the flow of the energy from the car's battery back to the grid.

How about V2X?

Besides V2G, there is another abbreviation often mentioned in relation to bi-directional charging - V2X. V2X means vehicle-to-everything. It includes many different use cases, such as vehicle-to-home (V2H), vehicle-to-building (V2B) and vehicle-to-load (V2L) services.

Depending on whether you want to use electricity from an EV battery in your home or an office building, there are different abbreviations for each of these use cases. Your EVs can work for you, even when feeding back to the grid isn't the case for you.

In a nutshell, the idea behind V2G is similar to regular smart charging. Smart charging, also known as V1G charging, enables us to control the charging of EVs in a way that allows the charging power to be increased and decreased when needed.

Vehicle-to-grid goes one step further and enables the charged power also to be momentarily pushed back to the grid from car batteries to balance variations in energy production and consumption.

Long story short, V2G helps mitigate climate change by allowing our energy system to balance more and more renewable energy. However, to succeed in tackling the climate crisis, three things need to happen in the energy and mobility sectors: Decarbonisation, energy efficiency, and electrification.

In the context of energy production, decarbonisation refers to the deployment of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. This introduces the problem of energy storage. While fossil fuels can be seen as a form of energy storage as they release energy when burned, wind and solar power function differently. 

This energy should be either used when it's produced or then stored for later usage. As renewable energy production increasingly makes its way into our energy system, it creates more volatility and a need for new ways of balancing and storing renewable energy.

Simultaneously, the transportation sector is doing its fair share of carbon reduction. A notable proof of that is the number of EVs on our roads, which is steadily increasing. In , 14% of all cars sold were electric, while that number was only 5% in .

EV batteries are by far the most cost-efficient form of energy storage since they require no additional investments in hardware. With V2G, we can utilise the battery capacity up to 10x more efficiently than with regular smart charging. Vehicle-to-grid technology enables us to make the best use of the existing population of vehicles.

And by , there could be up to 250 million EVs globally. That means that we'll have around 250 million tiny energy storages on wheels. Research actually shows that by the end of this decade, EV batteries should be able to meet the demand for short-term energy storage.

Virta's vision for V2G solutions

Stationary energy storages ' big power banks in a sense ' are becoming more common. They are a handy way of storing energy from, for instance, large solar power plants. According to predictions, 6% of global electricity production could be stored in batteries within the upcoming 20 years.

For example, Tesla and Nissan offer home batteries for consumers. These home batteries, together with solar panels and home EV charging stations, are a great way to balance out energy production and consumption in detached houses or small communities. 

Pump stations are another common form of energy storage. Water is continuously pumped up and down to produce and store the produced energy.

On a larger scale, and compared to electric vehicles aka batteries on wheels, these energy storages are more expensive to supply and require significant investments. As the number of EVs is continuously rising, electric cars provide a much better option with no extra costs.

At Virta, we believe that electric cars are simply the smartest way to help with renewable energy management and production, as EVs will be part of our lives in the future ' regardless of the ways we choose to use them.

Photo illustrating two colleagues at Virta working with a V2G charger in a parking garage. Photo/Credits by Ville Vappula.

For more dual power control system for electric vehiclesinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

When it comes to using V2G in practice, the most important thing is to make sure that EV drivers have enough energy in their car batteries when they need it. For example, a driver must be able to make a trip to work and back, at any time.

This is the basic requirement of V2G and any other charging technology: The EV driver must be able to communicate when they want to unplug the car and how full the battery should be at that time.

With Virta's V2G solution, the car battery is always charged to 70-90% when the driver needs to go.

When using smart charging, the possibility of balancing the grid ends when the battery is fully charged. With V2G, the grid balancing can continue the full time the vehicle is plugged in.

Private charging (at home or at work) is ideal for V2G as the time the vehicle is connected to the charger is long. This makes it possible to control the charging and discharging during the most suitable times for the electrical system.

How does electricity move?

First things first; let's go through the very basics of how electricity behaves in the grid ' it always takes the shortest possible way to the nearest location where it's needed. A vehicle-to-grid charging device absorbs electricity from the car battery and simply just pushes it back to the grid, where it continues its journey to the nearest location where it's needed.

A practical example: At the Virta HQ

At Virta HQ, we currently have seven V2G charging stations in use. These stations are located in the office building garage, next to regular, publicly available smart charging stations.

When the V2G station is discharging, the electricity here at Virta HQ transfers directly to the nearby car batteries charging at the regular stations ' they are the nearest locations where the electrical demand is continuous.

If no cars are being charged, the discharged electricity will be used on garage lighting or air conditioning. This reduces the total energy consumption of the building, which balances the energy system around our office.

Let us take you on a virtual tour at Virta HQ to test our V2G charging solution:

...and at our customer's premises

Another example of V2G deployment is the eFuture project where Virta enabled Nissan to kickstart vehicle-to-grid (V2G) EV charging together with E.ON.

We provided a digital EV charging platform for E.ON that automates charging and energy export in line with signals such as grid demand, energy prices, and the carbon intensity of the energy mix, to test the effectiveness of V2G on a larger scale, in real conditions, with 20 V2G chargers.

The aim of this project, which started in the UK in , was to demonstrate that V2G is a viable, sustainable and profitable solution for businesses.

During the project, vehicles were connected to the V2G chargers at intervals designed to replicate corporate fleet schedules ' mainly overnight, but also for chunks of time during the day.

Summary of the benefits depending on your targets:

• Reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) of fleets
• Car OEMs (manufacturers) can sell vehicles with added value
• Energy market parties can trade and optimise their balance
• Network operators can optimise investments & stabilise the grid

For real estate

When installing a charging station, step number one is to review the electrical system of the building. The electrical connection can become a hindrance to the EV charging installation project or increase costs significantly in case the connection needs to be upgraded.

Vehicle-to-grid, as well as other smart energy management features like Dynamic Load Management (DLM), help enable EVs to charge anywhere, regardless of the surroundings, location, or premise. 

The benefits of V2G for buildings are visible when the electricity from car batteries is used where it is needed the most (as described in the previous chapter). Vehicle-to-grid helps balance out electricity demand and avoid any unnecessary costs for expanding the electricity system. 

With V2G, the momentary electricity consumption spikes in the building can be balanced with the help of EVs and no extra energy needs to be consumed from the grid.

For the power grid

When power consumption increases, it can overload the power grid in the area. A building's ability to balance its electricity demand with V2G charging stations also helps out the power grid on a larger scale. 

This will come in handy when the amount of renewable energy in the grid, produced with wind and solar, increases. Renewable energy sources are volatile and create challenges in areas that rely on wind and solar power.

These circumstances cause 'grid congestion' or bottlenecks that can prevent electricity from reaching its destination. Luckily, smartly controlled EVs can offer a solution to grid congestion and prevent the need for expensive grid infrastructure upgrades.

Without vehicle-to-grid technology, energy has to be bought from reserve power plants, which increases electricity prices during peak hours, since striking up these extra power plants is a pricey procedure. Plus majority of these reserve power plants produce carbon energy. 

Without control, you need to accept this given price but with V2G you can optimise your costs and profits. In other words, V2G enables energy companies to play ping pong with electricity in the grid.

For fleets

Fleet operators can enroll into a V2G program and generate extra revenue as utilities will pay fleets for discharging their car's batteries. At the same time, your fleet can help balance the energy grid.

With vehicle-to-grid, fleets can use their vehicles as temporary energy storages. This can be especially helpful if your business relies mainly on building operations. In case of a lack of power or even a power outage, energy can be stored in your vehicles and discharged into your business's building whenever necessary.

For EV drivers

Why would individual EV drivers take part in vehicle-to-grid as a demand response then? As we explained earlier, it does no harm to them, but does it any good either?

Since vehicle-to-grid solutions are expected to become a financially beneficial feature for energy companies, they have a clear incentive to encourage consumers to take part. 

After all, the technology, devices, and vehicles compatible with the V2G technology are not enough ' consumers need to take part, plug in and enable their car batteries to be used for V2G. 

Similarly to fleets, individual EV drivers can also benefit from extra earnings for storing excess energy in their vehicles and selling it back to electricity networks.

We're soon about to see V2G solutions commercially available. But there is a lot of development to be done before this technology becomes the mainstream energy management tool.

A. V2G technology and devices

Multiple hardware providers have developed device models compatible with vehicle-to-grid technology. Just like any other charging devices, V2G chargers already come in many shapes and sizes.

Usually, the maximum charging power is around 11 kW ' just enough for home or workplace charging. But we can also find V2G chargers with charging power up to 15 kW. In the future, even wider charging solutions will apply.

Vehicle-to-grid charging devices are DC (direct current) chargers, since this way the cars' own unidirectional on-board chargers can be bypassed. There have also been projects where a vehicle has an onboard DC charger and the vehicle can be plugged into an AC charger. However, this is not a common solution today.

To wrap up, devices exist and are feasible, yet there's still room for improvement as the technology matures.

B. V2G compatible vehicles

Currently, CHAdeMo electric vehicle OEMs, such as Nissan, have outpaced other car manufacturers by bringing V2G compatible car models to the market. All Nissan Leafs and Nissan e-NV200 can be discharged with vehicle-to-grid stations. Mitsubishi also joined the club with its Outlander PHEV and iMiev models, which are now also V2G compatible.

Some other car models with V2G capabilities are Peugeot iON and Citroën C0.

The ability to support V2G is a real opportunity for OEMs and many more of them will hopefully join the club of vehicle-to-grid compatibles soon.

For example, Ford is planning to commercialise V2G with their F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck and Hyundai with their IONIQ 5 model while Volkswagen is also implementing the ISO- standard in their vehicles.

Compatibility with the CCS standard is planned to become commercialised by .

Does V2G affect car battery life?

Some V2G opponents claim that using V2G technology makes car batteries less long-lasting. The claim itself is a bit strange, as car batteries are being drained daily anyways ' as the car is used, the battery is discharged so we can drive around. Research actually shows that EV battery degradation can be recuded by one-eight with careful charging and discharging. The EV battery lifecycle and the impact of V2G on it are studied constantly. Learn more about V2G & EV battery life

C. Cooperation: Car manufacturers and the energy sector must step in

Vehicle-to-grid is only one (but very impactful) example of the energy management possibilities that EVs offer us for the future. The thing is that energy and mobility sectors will converge in the future, with or without V2G. We believe that it is with.

However, big wheels turn slowly, and there is some resistance to change. Nissan is showing a great example to other car manufacturers to start cooperating with the energy sector in order to develop something new and life-changing and to look boldly into the future. The car industry is going through a revolution like never before. Combining forces with the energy sector offers the car industry a chance to begin a new heyday.

The same goes for the energy sector: As energy efficiency increases and more renewables step in, the ongoing change will be drastic for the electrical grid. The energy sector must find new ways to balance energy production and consumption. Luckily, EVs are ready to lend a hand.

D. European standards that make EV charging easier

The demand response markets in Europe are growing at over 20% growth rate. V2G is one of the most promising tools in the demand response markets. No wonder that the V2G market is projected to grow to over $5 billion by .

At the moment, the V2G is still a project-based business, but this is all about to change. V2G will soon become a commercially profitable business, and there will be more and more V2G companies surfacing.  

The European ISO -20 standard defines a vehicle-to-grid communication interface for bi-directional charging and enables bi-directional power transfer for multiple cars.

In practice, with standards like these, EV charging becomes smarter, more efficient and more convenient. This means that EV battery capacity for energy management will grow heavily in the next couple of years.

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

The first V2G projects are running, and vehicle-to-grid solutions are being implemented. V2G will become a vital solution first in locations where the energy system is the most volatile.

The most important thing, despite the location, is that the installed charging devices are smart ' otherwise, all of the smart energy management features will be inaccessible.

As soon as the V2G technology becomes the norm, EVs will also be able to support the grid in a state of emergency. If extreme weather conditions cause power outages, electric vehicles can maintain power for basic needs until the problem is fixed. This will make the electricity system less vulnerable and less dependent on external conditions.

Now we just need all the players to start making the most of the largest and most cost-efficient energy storage that we have ' electric vehicles.

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