Why Smartlets and not outlets?
Problems with outlets in public spaces:
- Will always require physical GFI and circuit breaker reset (i.e. reset cannot be done remotely)
- Always “energized” outlets can pose safety and increase liability issues
- Always “energized” outlets can result in energy theft
- Do not deal with cord theft issues
- Cannot handle large number of mate/demate cycles – needing more frequent replacements. No auto detection capabilities
- Do not provide for grid load management capabilities – causing concerns for utilities
- Do not provide for circuit load management capabilities
- Do not provide for a “pay for use” business model (i.e. no subscriber/driver management capabilities)
- No way to determine where available (not in use) stations are before driving there
- Low availability due to lack of monitoring, triggered GFCIs and triggered circuit breakers
How much GHG emissions do electric cars save?
- EPRI estimates between 1.2 and 3 Metric Tons/year for PHEVs
- Based on EPA nationwide blended model
- About 3 Metric Tons/year saved in most cases
- Depends on how much you charge versus using gas
- Some utilities will be better than the EPA average because they have “cleaner” electric power (Typically states with heavy investment in nuclear, wind, hydro, etc.)
- Some utilities will be worse than the EPA average because they have “dirtier” electric power (Typically those relying on coal)
How many charging stations are needed per vehicle?
- In the U.S.:
- 54 million garages
- 247 million registered vehicles
- 1.8 charging station to car ratio required
- Therefore, number of charging stations available is about 12%
- This ratio represents mass adoption
- In early adopter phase:
- We anticipate the ratio to be closer to 1 to 1 and growing to 1.8 to 1 over time
- Europe has a bigger problem in the early stages
- NOTE: California Energy Commission believes that in order to get reasonable geographic coverage, you need a 3 to 1 charging station to vehicle ratio
What does the Subscriber Experience look like?
- The pictures on the right are that of a subscriber plugging into a streetlight mounted system and that of a smartcard authorization system
- For the 120V (Level 1) charging:
- Driver has the cord
- Uses Smart Card to authenticate
- Door unlocks
- Driver opens door, plugs in cord, and closes door
- Door automatically locks
- Outlet is now energized and current is flowing to the vehicle
- To de-energize outlet, unlock door and retrieve cord, driver uses Smart Card to authenticate
- For the 240V (Level 2) charging:
- Connector and cord is attached to the charging station
- Driver plugs in the J1772 connector into the car inlet
- Driver uses Smart Card to authenticate and start charging
- To stop charging driver disconnects the J1772 connector from the inlet
