San Diego, CA
–
October 15, 2015… The BMW i ChargeForward second-life
energy storage system enabled by Geli has been awarded a 2015 Energy
Storage North America (ESNA) Innovation Award for its sophisticated
second-life energy storage system. The award for the Best Mobility
Project was presented at the 2015 ESNA Conference taking place in San
Diego, CA. The ESNA Innovation Awards recognize excellence in energy
storage projects. The award demonstrates the company’s commitment to
innovation and to exploring the sustainability potential in all
aspects of electric vehicle ownership.
“The goal of the BMW i ChargeForward project is to show how electric
vehicles with smart charging capability and stationary 2nd life
applications of EV batteries can provide valuable flexibility that
would make it possible for utilities to maximize the effectiveness of
the existing electricity grid, which we expect to ultimately lower
total cost of EV ownership for consumers,” said Dr. Simon Ellgas
Senior Advanced Technology Engineer - Sustainable Mobility, BMW Group
Technology Office USA. “It shows the potential of collaboration
between partners like PG&E, Geli, Princeton Power Systems and EV
Grid but most especially our enthusiastic BMW i3 electric vehicle drivers."
San Francisco-based company Geli provided its Geli Energy Operating
System (Geli EOSTM) to control and monitor the system at the BMW Group
Technology Office in Mountain View, CA. The Geli EOS enables the BMW
microgrid to act as the backup capacity resource for the BMW i
ChargeForward program, making it possible to commit to providing
PG&E with up to 100 kW of reduced demand on the grid when requested.
“This project is a great example of Geli's vision coming to life - to
network and leverage disparate assets to provide multiple energy
services,” noted Dr. Ryan Wartena, CEO and Co-founder of Geli. “Our
work with the BMW Group Technology Office is a breakthrough use of
second life vehicle batteries and paves the way for integration of EVs
as grid resources.”
Other partners include Princeton Power Systems, which provided the
bi-directional inverter technology that made it possible to not only
store electricity collected from the solar park in the MINI E 2nd life
batteries but also to feed that energy not only into the BMW Group
Technology Office building but also into the PG&E grid. The
company EV Grid provided the integration of the MINI E for the 2nd
life storage unit.
The pilot study is being undertaken by the BMW Group Technology
Office, together with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E),
whose service area covers Northern and Central California. Partnering
with a group of nearly 100 BMW i3 drivers from the San Francisco Bay
Area, selected from approximately 400 applicants, BMW i ChargeForward
will demonstrate how intelligent management of electric vehicle
charging can contribute to optimizing electric power grid efficiency
while ultimately contributing to a reduced total cost of electric
vehicle ownership. The study has two parts: a managed charge pilot
program involving BMW i3 owners and a battery second life energy
storage system. In the managed charge pilot program, these 100 BMW i3
drivers allow BMW to delay the charging of their vehicles by up to one
hour per day, based on requests received from PG&E when grid loads
are at their peak, while always prioritizing customer charging
preferences. The program also includes a “second life” for used MINI E
batteries, by repurposing these batteries into a stationary
solar-powered electric storage system located at the BMW Technology
Office in Mountain View, California.
The goal of the BMW i ChargeForward pilot is to provide PG&E with
up to 100 kilowatts of capacity at any given time, regardless of how
many BMW i3 electric vehicles are charging, as part of a voluntary
load-reduction program known as “Demand Response.” The benefit to
PG&E of more efficient use of existing power grid resources
through EV charging management is passed on in the form of monetary
incentives to program participants. Improved grid utilization,
resulting from EV charging management combined with a solar-powered
“second life” battery system, is expected to reduce stresses on the
grid and reduce the need for additional peaker plants, thus reducing
consumer costs while supporting the integration of renewable energy.
About BMW i
BMW i is the BMW Group’s forward-looking and sustainable brand
dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the
world’s most densely populated cities. The all-encompassing approach
of BMW i includes the extensive use of recycled, renewable raw and
naturally treated materials, alongside an extremely resource-efficient
production method.
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since
1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in
2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include
marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW
brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy
based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various
other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in
South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and
is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity
Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales
organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 339 BMW
passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 149 BMW
motorcycle retailers, 124 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36
Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s
sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake,
New Jersey.
Information about BMW products is available to consumers via the
Internet at:
www.bmwusa.com.
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Journalist note: Information about BMW and its
products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com.
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