Integrating Electric Mobility Systems with the Grid Infrastructure
What we need to prepare the grid for electric vehicles
By Christos G. Cassandras, Peter Fox-Penner, Henry Kelly
November 2019
The way we move people and goods will see massive changes as we transition transportation systems to clean energy sources. In November 2019, the Institute for Sustainable Energy (now the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability) and Center for Information and Systems Engineering brought together leaders from industry, academia, and government to define what data and analysis are needed to ensure the right infrastructure investments are made now to support clean, electric transportation for generations to come.
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Recommendations
- Develop and analyze a variety of plausible scenarios that include accelerated innovation in both electric utilities and electric vehicles, with the goal of minimizing costs for each. This could include charging station location, vehicle size, and routing to minimize trip costs and time.
- Identify data ownership. Automated vehicles, vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) systems, and 5G cellular networks will generate enormous amounts of data which raises new questions about access and privacy.
- Explore options for electric vehicles in exurban and rural areas, including the use of alternative sources of renewable power.
- Encourage investment by clearing the paths for funding. A careful review of the complex web of federal, state, and local laws and regulatory bodies that govern ownership and pricing in both utilities and transportation will better support rapid growth.