Mini tech post: Electric cars as grid storage

[dracodraconis]

Scientists University of Delaware are testing the feasibility of using electric automobiles as power storage when they are not in use. The car batteries would serve as extra storage for the power grid, potentially improving the overall efficiency of energy storage and distribution. For this approach to work, thousands of automobiles would need to be in active service with owners willing to let their batteries be used by local power companies while sitting idle. More than 100 cars are required to store 1 megawatt of power, but this approach could mean each car would save the power company more than $4,000 in storage costs for a $600 per car investment. If some of these saving were passed on to the consumer, it could make electric vehicles more cost-effective.