EV Pioneers' Quest for Grid Integration: The Origins of EVs & 'V2G'

On a sunny afternoon at Caltech’s Ramo Auditorium, last month, I had the pleasure of attending Caltech and the Origins of Electric Vehicles where the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation.

Enthusiasts and innovators gathered to honor the pioneers of electric vehicles (EVs) and explore the rich history that has shaped today’s EV landscape. Among the distinguished speakers were Wally Rippel, Alec Brooks, and Tom Gage—names synonymous with groundbreaking advancements and relentless pursuit of innovation.

What stood out to me? The concept of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology was at the heart of the discussion, highlighting its significance and potential for transforming energy systems.

A Spark of Inspiration: The Early Days

In 1968, the Great Transcontinental Electric Car Race was held between student groups at Caltech and 美国麻省理工学院 . This competition was spearheaded by Wally Rippel, whose relentless pursuit of making it happen finally led him to submit the idea to MIT through a professor. On the other end, the professor at MIT said it was a bad idea, which motivated MIT students to want to do it even more. This drive and determination highlighted how competition can spur innovation.

The Caltech team, led by EV pioneer Wally Rippel, converted a 1959 VW Microbus powered by lead cobalt batteries from Electric Fuel Propulsion Corporation of Detroit. The MIT team converted a 1968 Chevrolet Corvair powered by NiCad batteries. The MIT team raced from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Pasadena, California, while the Caltech team raced the opposite direction. A network of 55 charging locations was set up along the 3,311-mile route, spaced 21 to 95 miles apart.

The race began on August 26, 1968, and ended on September 4. Although the MIT team reached Pasadena first, they were towed part of the way. After assessing penalty points, Caltech was declared the winner with a corrected time of 210 hours and 3 minutes. This race wasn’t without its challenges. As teams worked on their vehicles, they encountered technical hurdles, including blown fuses, which highlighted the limitations of grid infrastructure. These challenges sparked the idea that EVs needed to be more than just vehicles; they needed to be integrated with the grid.

The Birth of V2G: A Visionary Idea

Tom Gage explained, "I can tell the story because I remember it distinctly, but we were V2G at first. It's a bidirectional character of the charger, which means you can discharge the battery into the grid, as well as charge the battery from the grid.

We were playing around with it, and we called it VTG, the Vehicle to Grid. This was in 1999. Everybody was talking about Y2K.

Alec came out of his office one day and said, 'We should call it V2G.'"

Innovation Amidst Resistance: The Struggles and Triumphs

Despite media and campus interest in Rippel’s VW Bus EV, battery research did not gain popularity at Caltech. Undeterred, Rippel came up with the “crazy idea” of a cross-country EV race between Caltech and MIT as a means of motivating battery interest. He shared his race idea with Caltech’s dean of engineering, Dr. Fred Lindvall. The goal was to have the dean write a letter to MIT’s engineering dean announcing the race idea. Dean Lindvall questioned the idea but, after some prodding, gave in and agreed to write a letter to MIT’s Dean Brown. Dean Brown also thought the idea was foolish and the race idea would have likely died had Dean Brown not made the “mistake” of expressing his negativity in the presence of some undergrads. The students concluded that if the Dean thought the idea was “stupid,” then it must be “cool.”

Wally Rippel faced significant resistance in his work, particularly with the idea of an inverter on a vehicle. He was told by automotive industry executives that an inverter would never be on a vehicle. Despite this skepticism, Rippel and his colleagues were undeterred. This resistance reminded me of the objections by California Investor Owned Utilities to onboard, bidirectional charging (AC-V2G) as opposed to DC-V2G, which requires offboard equipment.

Despite recent findings at the Inaugural Vehicle Grid Forum from 福特 and Pacific Gas and Electric Company , that DC-V2G is too costly without subsidy, opposition to AC-V2G is rooted in the potential disruption of utilities building infrastructure that is marked up for profit and charged to ratepayers. Offboard equipment manufacturers are also opposed to competition that would make them obsolete.

I was reminded of an occurrence in my own work with SineWatts , a novel power electronics technology firm with patented onboard charging and bidirectional technology that would allow for Level 3 charging. A representative from Southern California Edison (SCE) , Roger Salas , heavily involved in the standards formation processes for V2G at the state and industry level, laughed and ridiculed Dr. Shibashis (Shiba) Bhowmik and referred to AC-V2G as 'rogue inverters'. This is just one example of many documented of investor-owned utility opposition to AC-V2G.

It was refreshing to see that Dr. Bhowmik and I are not alone in the opposition to this vital concept. Eventually, with Wally and the EV pioneers prevailing, it gave me hope that the utilities won't be able to stop AC-V2G, despite their strong and public opposition.

Real-World Applications: Turning Vision into Reality

The practical applications of V2G technology were vividly demonstrated in Alec Brooks' 2002 report, Vehicle-to-Grid Demonstration Project: Grid Regulation Ancillary Service with a Battery Electric Vehicle . The report detailed the feasibility of using EVs for grid regulation services.

The findings showed that EVs with bidirectional grid power interfaces could not only charge from the grid but also discharge back into it, providing significant benefits. The economic feasibility was clear, as the value generated by V2G services exceeded the costs associated with battery wear.

Alec noted, "What are some of the benefits that EV owners should be getting? Their cars are cheaper to charge, or they actually, from a grid standpoint, their power grids have ancillary services that are provided by power plants and other types of mainstream devices that can control power flow. So, like, for example, in a power grid, you have to maintain power. It's like a big spinning machine; you have to balance generation and load. If you don't, the frequencies start drifting off. There’s a market for it, and you can fit into that market. One way is through an aggregator where you can bid into these markets, sometimes with higher value. We got some grants from the California government to evaluate this and show it. We discovered simpler ways that don't involve reverse power flow, like controlling charging current to manage grid frequency. We did one test where we showed it autonomously by measuring the grid frequency at the charger and implementing a control loop right there.”

Legislative Milestones: Paving the Way for V2G

California’s SB 676 played a crucial role in fostering action on V2G technology at the California Public Utilities Commission . This legislation paved the way for pilot projects and regulatory support, highlighting the state's commitment to integrating EVs into the grid.

However, not all legislative efforts were successful. Nancy Skinner 's bill, Electric Vehicle Energy Reliability Green (EVERGreen) Act of 2023 , as reported by CNET , "..would have required all electric vehicles sold in the state to be equipped with bidirectional charging technology has died in the state assembly."

The strong utility opposition and vested interests to this legislation and decades of delay highlights the need for regulatory support and the importance of pilot deployments to gather data and refine the technology to be onboard as the EV pioneers envisioned.

Despite resistance, the efforts fostered by SB 676 laid the groundwork for future advancements, including motivating SineWatts to move to Bakersfield, CA and open a laboratory for demonstrations of high power, onboard, bidirectional charging to this effect.

The Market Dynamics: Corporate Strategies and Missed Opportunities

Despite having the early technology from AC Propulsion, Tesla focused on stationary energy storage solutions like the Powerwall and Megapack. This strategic choice reflects broader market dynamics and corporate interests. The resistance from firms that manufacture off-board equipment and those that sell microgrids underscores the competitive landscape and the challenges of adopting V2G.

Another story of competition came from the automotive giants 福特 and 通用汽车 . Both companies wanted to showcase their leadership in innovation and racing. This rivalry led to GM’s participation in the SunRaycer project, which was a significant milestone in demonstrating the potential of solar-powered vehicles. This competition further underscores how leveraging competition can drive innovation and make visionary ideas a reality.

The Future Vision: Embracing V2G for Sustainable Progress

Reflecting on the pioneering spirit of early innovators, it's clear that the future of V2G technology is bright. The need for modern equivalents in terms of power electronics, semiconductors and transistors to continue the legacy of innovation is urgent.

V2G offers a sustainable path forward, enabling full utilization of intermittent renewables and stabilizing the grid without burdening ratepayers with infrastructure costs. Embracing this technology will require the same level of grit and determination demonstrated by the early EV pioneers.

A recent article, The Next Front in the War Against Climate Change by Brian Deese, a former advisor to President Joe Biden and an architect of the Inflation Reduction Act , highlights the urgent need for electricity market reform. Deese argues that despite unprecedented investment in clean energy, the current electricity system is failing to meet Americans’ demand for clean power.

The structure of our electricity markets needs to change to fully unlock the potential of EVs and ensure that investments in clean energy translate into tangible benefits. Deese notes, "Even though unprecedented sums of money are flowing into clean energy, our current electricity system is failing to meet Americans’ demand for clean power. If we don’t fix it, the surge in investment will not deliver its full economic and planetary potential."

Conclusion

As the event at Caltech concluded, the stories shared by Wally Rippel, Alec Brooks, and Tom Gage left a lasting impression on me and many others. Their experiences underscored the importance of perseverance and innovation. The vision they set forth decades ago is more relevant than ever. The challenge now is to build on their legacy, overcoming vested interests or opposition and driving forward with the same pioneering spirit.

The potential of V2G to revolutionize our energy systems is immense, and the journey to realizing this vision continues.