Photo: Toyota
More EVs entering the scene seemingly every other day means that the world is in dire need of more charging stations. But that’s only part of the problem – the grid itself needs attention, too, and Toyota is stepping up to try and help. But not alone.
Toyota Motor North America has teamed up with the largest energy delivery company in Texas, Oncor Electric Delivery, for a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) pilot project. The two companies want to explore and better understand how this kind of technology can ultimately benefit both the customers and the grid itself, while making the latter safer and more reliable.
Vehicle-to-grid does pretty much what the name says – allows electric vehicles to power the grid “in times of need,” instead of getting power from it. The project, which marks the automaker’s first collaboration with a public utility company in the U.S., will be led by Toyota’s Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions (EVCS) team.
The companies will use a BEV along with Oncor’s Dallas microgrid to get a better understanding of how utilities and EVs work together. The next step will take place sometime in 2023, when the companies will connect BEVs to homes and organizations within Oncor’s service territory, to gather insight into customer needs and the impact of V2G on the grid.
“We envision a future where Toyota BEVs provide a best-in-class mobility experience, but also can be utilized by our customers to power their homes, their communities or even power back the electric grid in times of need,” said Christopher Yang, group vice president of Toyota’s Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions team.
The end goal for both companies is to understand how the charging infrastructure can be improved to provide a better experience for customers.
“We appreciate Toyota’s collaboration in pursuing innovative energy solutions through this endeavor, and we look forward to someday implementing the lessons learned from this pilot project in benefit of the many communities we serve,” added Jim Greer, Oncor Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Vehicle-to-grid does pretty much what the name says – allows electric vehicles to power the grid “in times of need,” instead of getting power from it. The project, which marks the automaker’s first collaboration with a public utility company in the U.S., will be led by Toyota’s Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions (EVCS) team.
The companies will use a BEV along with Oncor’s Dallas microgrid to get a better understanding of how utilities and EVs work together. The next step will take place sometime in 2023, when the companies will connect BEVs to homes and organizations within Oncor’s service territory, to gather insight into customer needs and the impact of V2G on the grid.
“We envision a future where Toyota BEVs provide a best-in-class mobility experience, but also can be utilized by our customers to power their homes, their communities or even power back the electric grid in times of need,” said Christopher Yang, group vice president of Toyota’s Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions team.
The end goal for both companies is to understand how the charging infrastructure can be improved to provide a better experience for customers.
“We appreciate Toyota’s collaboration in pursuing innovative energy solutions through this endeavor, and we look forward to someday implementing the lessons learned from this pilot project in benefit of the many communities we serve,” added Jim Greer, Oncor Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
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