I live on Long Island and the Long Island Power Authority used the occasion of my delivery of a new Volt (VIN 118 from Atlantic Chevrolet in Bay Shore, NY) to announce a new $500 rebate for customers who purchase EV/PEV vehicles

http://www.lipower.org/newscenter/pr/2010/122010-phev.html

They also gave me the form to fill out when I took delivery. Now I'm just waiting for them to give me an address where I can send it <grin>.

Interestingly, when talking with the COO, one of the reasons he told me for offering the rebate was for the power authority to be able to track residences with electric vehicles so, if they see a cluster develop in a common transformer, they can be proactive in upgrading the equipment at the street to make sure possible simultaneous charging doesn't create problems.

I also encouraged him to create a reduced rate/dedicated meter program for EV charging that other states have already done. Long Island Power does have time-sensitive rates though the "day" hours are 10am-8pm which means they cut into evenings at our household and, the "day" rate is 3X the current day rate whilst the evening "reduced" rate is lower but, given my power consumption habits, not nearly lower enough to make up for the significantly higher day rate. He told me they are working on it.

one of the reasons he told me for offering the rebate was for the power authority to be able to track residences with electric vehicles so, if they see a cluster develop in a common transformer, they can be proactive in upgrading the equipment at the street to make sure possible simultaneous charging doesn't create problems.

I've read this before, that power companies need to watch for neighborhoods with concentrations of electric cars served by one transformer.

At first blush this doesn't makes sense, since a Volt only draws about 2520 kWh per day, which is less than the average daily power draw of a fridge/freezer (2610 kWh) or an electric water heater (2552 kWh).

Watt's the big deal? The problem is, if a bunch of people on the same transformer got electric cars and fast chargers, they would each be pulling an entire day's worth of fridge power into their car in the span of about 4 hours. But then the question is, will they all charge at the same time of day? I suppose it is possible to imagine they all charge from 6-10 PM each weekday, after they get home from work. But then again, that's not the peak time of air conditioners and other power draws...

That's great news for you guys up there.
I did some checking today, and here in Florida we don't get the free chargers. Our electric utility FPL has no "off peak" discount, nor rebates or incentives for EV/EREV owners. I do get a pass for the HOV lane...big deal....it will probably cost me extra for the sticker, something I don't want to place on the car anyway. LOL

Steve

VIN# 313

Watt's the big deal? The problem is, if a bunch of people on the same transformer got electric cars and fast chargers, they would each be pulling an entire day's worth of fridge power into their car in the span of about 4 hours. But then the question is, will they all charge at the same time of day? I suppose it is possible to imagine they all charge from 6-10 PM each weekday, after they get home from work. But then again, that's not the peak time of air conditioners and other power draws...

That one of the problems. The other one, and a new one, is that a lot of people will charge overnight. Up to now, the utilities have been counting on the low power draw overnight to let the transformers cool down. If they don't get that nightly opportunity to cool off, the transformer life goes way down.

That one of the problems. The other one, and a new one, is that a lot of people will charge overnight. Up to now, the utilities have been counting on the low power draw overnight to let the transformers cool down. If they don't get that nightly opportunity to cool off, the transformer life goes way down.

I'm not sure I agree with this. Most of the transformers have big cooling fins and outside ambient is going to be cooler at night. Thermal cycling is usually harder on electrical and electronic components than constant temperature. Going from peak air conditioning loads on a summer afternoon to virtually nothing at 3:00 AM and back again is going to cause more problems than going to a fraction of that peak load at 3:00 AM.

...a Volt only draws about 2520 kWh per day...

I don't think that's what you meant. At 12.9 kwh per full charge, you'd have to charge it 195 times a day to get 2520 kwh.

Marty: this came straight from a power utility engineer I know. In a few months I'll know a lot more and will be able to point you to a reference.

EDIT: quoting, meh, it was two posts above mine.

Marty: this came straight from a power utility engineer I know.

Hey ChrisC, you should check that FAQ thing I keep hearing about to see if it has comments on quoting etiquette! :o

This is great news, I hope National Grid in NY follows suit at some point, preferably soon! I had another thread on here that also discussed petitioning them for time of use EV rate metering, but their case on rate increases has since expired.