Tesla Automobile Batteries: Are they capable of powering homes and energy grids?
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | Chimniii Desk
With more EVs being used internationally, experts are examining how batteries might provide additional clean energy services in addition to reducing emissions.
The University of Queensland in Australia announced on Wednesday that it will recruit Tesla Inc car owners worldwide to determine if the vehicle's leftover battery capacity may be used to support the energy grid and potentially power homes in the future.
The university has teamed with analytics platform Tesla scope on the study initiative, which the institution described as a world-first trial that will examine how current owners of electric cars (EVs) drive and charge their vehicles.
Tesla owners in Australia, the United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom can apply for the study's initial phase. The scheme may be expanded in the future to include additional electric vehicle manufacturers.
With the global use of electric vehicles increasing, experts are investigating how batteries can provide additional cleaner energy services in addition to assisting in the reduction of emissions in the transportation business.
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According to researchers at the University of Queensland, most electric vehicles are driven for less than one-eighth of their daily driving range of 400 kilometres (249 miles), creating opportunities for energy storage and export via vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers.
"(The study) will not only influence international EV policy, but also analyse the practicality of utilising EVs as batteries-on-wheels," Jake Whitehead, a University of Queensland Research Fellow, told Reuters.
V2G technology establishes a link between the electric vehicle and the grid, allowing for the transfer of energy from the grid to the car and vice versa. This might enable car owners to sell energy to the grid, while utilities could employ electric vehicles as a backup during periods of high demand.
The research, which seeks to recruit 500 Tesla owners initially, will collect usage statistics via the vehicle's software interface in exchange for a year's free premium access to Teslascope.
Australia pledged A$178 million ($132 million) last week to accelerate the implementation of electric vehicle charging stations, but did not establish deadlines for phase-out of gasoline vehicles.
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