Austin Alt Car: Austin Energy ends Plug-in Partners, unveils new smart charging software
L to R: Duncan, Kaplan, Doggett.
The one press announcement at this weekend's Alt Car Expo in Austin, Texas had to do with the efforts of the local utility, Austin Energy. Austin Energy is hosting this Expo, and used it to mark the end of the Plug-in Partners campaign. Wait, using an alt car show to call an end to a movement that has worked incredibly hard to get the big automakers to focus on plug-in vehicles? Yup. Austin Energy general manager Roger Duncan announced that the Plug-in Partners program is officially finished now because, "We have absolutely achieved success." The rumor is that the EDTA might take over some of the PiP work moving forward, but for now it's mission accomplished.
Also speaking at the press conference was Lloyd Doggett, U.S. Congressman for the Austin area. Doggett said that the smart grid/plug-in efforts are "a campaign that really matters for our city and the planet." Doggett knows what he's talking about; he's worked in Congres for years on getting pro-PHEV legislation passed (we got a chance to speak directly with Doggett about this, and we'll post that interview shortly).
Lastly David Kaplan of V2Green showed of a piece of web-based PHEV software that AE uses to track - and predict - PHEV use. The company currently has two converted Priuses plugged into the network and a fleet of thousands of virtual cars that can help engineers and others understand how customers will affect the grid load and vice versa. It's a new era in grid planning - something we'll have much more on later. For now, you can see the software screens by clicking here (then just click on each picture to go to the next screen).
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
george 1:54PM (10/18/2008)
I would like to see some grid planning here in NY where I live. It would be the perfect place for electric cars. I could see some of the problems... The city really wants to limit the amount of traffic in the city and really has no place to park for anyone :)
Still it would be nice.
I work with conversions and I think converted cars are great for city driving, down parkways, and even over the bridge to Manhattan from Queens... It would be a dream for everyone if they wouldn't have to pay for gas anymore...
http://gas2electric.net
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gorr 3:16PM (10/18/2008)
Politicians taking care of the future by pusching car compagnies to built and sell battery cars, LOL. This is another step toward permanent recession, economic and brain downsizing. Just gm , a politic high financial compagny, can agree with that. Toyota said many time that they cannot 'invent' a phev prius because it's not a sound principle to put a big and limp battery in a car, and they said that they were ready to commercialize hydrogen fuelcell cars. Conclusion: polititians work to impede hydrogen once they realized it was good to replace petrol and now they are pusching like mad toward battery because they know it won't replace petrol and it will donwsize car compagny and citizens.
Honda have already the solution, it's call fcx clarity, it work like a dream. We are in a world of ignorant madscientists paid by goverments.
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