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California Energy Commission awards more than $1.8M additional funding to further UCSD microgrid project; energy storage, EV charging and V2G services are components

Green Car Congress

The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved funding to advance further the development of its pioneering 42 MW peak microgrid and expand electric vehicle charging at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). This will reduce the indirect cost of solar power to California ratepayers. The Commission approved a $1.6-million

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False Starts: The Story of Vehicle-to-Grid Power

Cars That Think

And EV owners would become entrepreneurs, selling electricity back to the grid. It occurred in the wake of the California electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001, when mismanaged deregulation, market manipulation, and environmental catastrophe combined to unhinge the power grid. AC Propulsion’s experiment was timely.

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The Birthplace of the AC Grid

Cars That Think

Back in the 1800s, electricity distribution was a short-range business, driven by nearby DC generators. Folsom Powerhouse , in California, became the first facility to send high-voltage alternating current over long-distance transmission lines. Louis Bell , chief engineer of the power transmission department at GE.

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When (and How) Should You Use a DC EV Charger?

EV Connect

According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, there are 36,366 DC Fast charging stations available in the United States. Before you plug in, take a moment to learn the difference between AC and DC charging, how much time it will take, and whether there are any consequences for your route planning or battery maintenance.

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Are EVs Charged Mostly By Coal Power in the US?

EV Adoption

Last year I wrote an article — Electric Vehicles Have Lower Well-to-Wheel Emissions in All 50 States and DC Than Gas-Powered Vehicles — looking at “well to wheel” from the US Department of Energy and my own analysis of EV sales and source of electricity by state. Said another way, residents of California purchased 390.9

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What Is Bidirectional Charging? Understanding the Benefits for Both Drivers and Businesses

EV Connect

In one-directional charging, alternating current (AC) electricity is converted to direct current (DC) energy that’s stored in an EV battery to power the car. With a bidirectional charger, the converter can transform the car’s DC energy back into AC electricity and pass it along to another recipient.

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PHEVLERs are the Zero CO2 Clean Green Machines of the Future

Green Car Congress

Frank (email: afrank@efficientdrivetrains.com) Dr. Frank is Professor Emeritus, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of California, Davis, where he established the Institute for Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis), and was director of the US Department of Energy’s National Center of Hybrid Excellence at UC Davis.

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