Published May 3, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
Hydro-Québec announced today it will soon be testing vehicle to grid and vehicle to home systems.
IREQ, Hydro-Québec's research institute, is teaming up with B3CG Interconnect, based in Saint-Eustache,QC, Canada, and its partners to test vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home power exchanges.
Hydro-Québec generates, transmits and distributes electricity in the province of Québec, Canada.
The goal of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems is to use electricity stored in the batteries of plug-in vehicles as a backup energy supply for electricity grids, such as the Hydro-Québec power system, during peak periods. Vehicle-to-home (V2H) systems, on the other hand, would allow plug-in vehicle owners to use the energy stored in their batteries as a temporary home power source during outages, as they would a generator.
For purposes of the project, a test vehicle equipped with Québec-designed technologies will be assembled at IREQ. TM4, a Hydro-Québec subsidiary, will supply a latest-generation TM4 MφTIVE! electric powertrain system. The battery will be designed with IREQ-patented materials, such as lithium iron phosphate. B3CG Interconnect will partner with the Centre National du Transport Avancé (national centre for advanced transportation) in Saint-Jérôme and Brioconcept, based in Laval, to develop new two technologies: a power battery and associated control system, and a two-way charger designed to both recharge the battery and supply power to the grid.
The project will also receive financial support from the Québec government as part of its 2011-2020 Action Plan for Electric Vehicles. This plan gave Hydro-Québec a mandate to define the implications of these innovative concepts and to carry out all required experiments.