Cost benefits and vehicle-to-grid regulation services of unidirectional charging of electric vehicles

The goal of this paper is to show that with proper power-draw scheduling and dynamic pricing, a unidirectional charger can provide cost benefits and regulation services to the grid. In this work, power scheduling aspects of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are addressed. The use of electric vehicles (EVs) as demand response resources and unidirectional vehicle-to-grid benefits are investigated. Power draw can be scheduled with the EV charger in control of charging or via control by a utility or an aggregator. Charging cost functions suitable for charger- and utility-controlled power-draw scheduling are presented. Ancillary service levels possible with unidirectional vehicle-to-grid are quantified using different charging scenarios. Impacts of various power-draw schedules and vehicle participation as a demand-response resource on electricity prices are evaluated. These include cost benefits to both owners and load-serving entities. Ideas to encourage vehicle-to-grid participation are discussed.