Duke Energy, Progress Energy team up on electric-car venture
Written on October 31, 2008
Duke Energy Carolinas will partner with Progress Energy Inc. and the nonprofit Advanced Energy for a trial of new technology for plug-in electric cars.
Twelve Toyota Priuses will be modified for plug-in recharging and equipped with two-way technology for connecting to the electric grid. The goal is to make it possible for vehicles to charge overnight and then, at times, return power to the grid for use at peak demand.
The interactive technology will be supplied by V2Green, a Seattle based company that specializes in advanced products for use on the electric grid. The Priuses will operate in North Carolina and Florida.
“This is the nation’s first (plug-in hybrid) trial to involve multiple utilities,†says Ewn Pritchard, who manages hybrid programs for Advanced Energy. “Our collaboration will lay the foundation for the wide-scale adoption of plug-in vehicles to deliver cleaner, more cost-effective transportation freecreditreport.â€
Duke Energy Carolinas and Progress’ utilities in the Carolinas and Florida will be involved in the trial. They will explore billing and operational requirements to support plug-in vehicles moving among different utility systems.
Duke Energy Carolinas is a unit of Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK) . The company has been experimenting with plug-in vehicles for a few years, and it already operates two converted Priuses on its grid in the Charlotte area.
Progress (NYSE:PGN) is based in Raleigh, which is also the home of Advanced Energy.
Filed in: management.