Ford EV House owners Can Now Get Paid To Assist Southern California Grid

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In case you personal or lease a Ford electrical car, now you can receives a commission to help the electrical energy grid in Southern California, and also you don’t even want vehicle-to-grid expertise. That is particularly within the Southern California Edison utility district, and it’s initially solely an choice for Ford EV homeowners (others will doubtless be added in time).

The Ford EV homeowners shall be compensated for decreasing their electrical energy demand at instances when the grid is underneath further stress — when there’s excessive electrical energy demand and it’s getting too near out there electrical energy provide. Going a step additional, if a Ford EV does have vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality, it will also be used to ship electrical energy from the EV’s battery again into the grid for further compensation.

This system is known as the California Energy Response. It’s Ford’s a part of the Southern California Edison (SCE) Emergency Load Discount Program (ELRP). It’s operated in coordination with Olivine ClimateResponse® VPP. (VPP = digital energy plant.)

“In addition to benefitting from straightforward and handy residence charging, Ford clients can now enroll to obtain monetary advantages by permitting Ford to mechanically pause their electrical car charging throughout peak demand intervals, with the power to override the pause if they should cost sooner,” Ford writes. “Prospects will earn $1/kWh of power lowered in the course of the peak demand occasions. To register, eligible clients can observe directions on the next hyperlink.”

The good factor about this program, too, is that it might probably solely get higher. With every new batch of Ford EV gross sales, the potential for versatile electrical energy demand grows. Ford EV drivers can have increasingly optimistic impression on the grid yr after yr.

“The way forward for the two-way grid is now. The electrical trade has been making ready infrastructure and programs to make the most of vehicle-to-grid integration, and a variety of onerous work on all sides is now making {that a} actuality,” mentioned Steve Powell, president and CEO of SCE. “Ford’s help of the ELRP will present how EVs could make the grid extra resilient. The ELRP incentivizes EV drivers to ship energy from their automotive battery to the grid when it’s wanted most.”

“Turning into the primary U.S. automaker to take part within the ELRP program by means of Ford’s California Energy Response program is one other instance of Ford maximizing each profit potential for our electrical car clients,” mentioned Invoice Crider, senior director, world charging and power providers, Ford Motor Firm. “Electrical autos can ship price financial savings by means of incentives supplied by main utilities comparable to Southern California Edison, and present vehicle-to-home and near-future vehicle-to-grid providers open much more advantages to clients, the electrical grid and communities at giant.”

I’m very curious to listen to the experiences of Ford EV homeowners and lessees who take part on this program. In case you be part of this system, please maintain us posted by way of feedback right here on CleanTechnica and even Letters to the Editor. I’m certain lots of our readers would like to examine your experiences.

From the grid perspective, will this program assist take care of the notorious “duck curve?” I presume it can. The truth is, I’m unsure how for much longer the duck curve can survive in California with all of the power storage and demand response options which have been arriving on the grid.