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Research Objectives

PHEVs represent a significant advantage over other near term alternatives to conventional gasoline and diesel internal combustion engine vehicles, particularly in Manitoba. This is due to:

  • Low electricity rates.
  • Renewable hydroelectricity.
  • Very high electrical energy efficiency of battery storage. Out performs hydrogen four-to-one.
  • Relatively low cost of the technology.
  • Rapid advances in modern batteries (that are still continuing), improving performance, recharge speed, range, durability, and cost.
  • Low demand for additional electrical energy. A province-wide fleet of PHEV vehicles charging overnight would only require filling the nighttime dip in electrical demand.
  • Immediate availability of the technology to solve problems such as energy security, global warming, and pollution.
  • Most of the infrastructure is already in place, including electrical (from generating capacity, to transmission, to electrical distribution, to block heater plugs) and gasoline.
  • Capable of providing a bridge to other technologies, such as pure battery electric vehicles (through incorporating ever larger batteries and lower gasoline consumption) or such as alternative fuels to gasoline (eg. Ethanol or biodiesel).

PHEVs appear to have the highest probability of success in the next 10 to 20 years.

The project's objectives are to:

  • Convert a standard 2005 Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) into a PHEV. (Completed August 2006.).
  • Test PHEV characteristics and dependability under Manitoba's four-season ambient conditions. Investigate strategies to heat the cabin of the car without operating the gasoline engine.
  • Assess the operational impacts and the effects on the electricity supply system.
  • Compare an unmodified Toyota Prius with the PHEV under similar conditions.
  • Investigate compatibility with vehicle to grid technology (V2G).
    • V2G is a proposed communications and coordination technology that has the potential to improve electric utility operations by allowing the utility to control the charging and discharging of a plugged-in vehicle's battery. Moment to moment electrical system instabilities and time of day peak shifting can potentially be handled through the manipulation of hundreds of electrified vehicle batteries that are plugged in at any time, in exchange for payments or lower charging rates. Some studies indicate that an electrified commuter rail system would offer free charging, while other indicate that it would be possible to connect much greater amounts of intermittent or variable renewable generation (such as wind or solar power) than is currently feasible.