Utilization and effect of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the United States power grid

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are uniquely capable of providing both transportation and battery storage interconnection to the electric power grid. This ability allows PHEVs the possibility of serving the power grid in the capacity of a mobile energy storage unit, providing the grid with additional stability, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. Additionally, with the higher fuel efficiency of PHEVs, the transportation and power generation sectors can collectively reduce their ecologically harmful emissions and increase their reliance on environmentally friendly energy sources. These concepts are still new and under development; in this paper, the viability of the PHEV as a mobile energy storage unit connected to the power grid is examined from a power system perspective, involving an examination of practicality, reliability, short- and long-term economics, and alternative energy storage units.