1. Exploring The Trends In PHEV Electricity Consumption And Wind Turbine Electricity Generation. Dr. John Patten – Project Lead, Nathan Christensen – Research Assistant

2.  Normal hybrid vehicles are only able to charge internally.  The battery in a PHEV has a substantially larger storage capacity.  A PHEV is able to plug into a standard three-prong wall outlet to recharge its battery.

3.  The goal of our PHEV and Wind Turbine research project is to determine the feasibility of charging a PHEV using a small residential Wind Turbine.  Another focus of the research project is to monitor how different driving conditions, such as temperature, affect the performance of the PHEV.

4.  Currently, the Toyota Prius used in our research has a Hymotion A123 L5 Plug-in Conversion Module Battery.  The battery has a 5 kWh capacity and Hymotion estimates that it can travel up to 20-30 miles using only electricity, and then 30-40 miles while in electric assist mode.

5.  Using the information from Hymotion, we have determined that the PHEV should be able to achieve a maximum of 8 miles/kWh. This figure was determined by considering its maximum estimated driving range of 40 miles and its 5 kWh battery capacity.  Based on our current data, we are averaging approximately 4.4 miles/kWh.  Our overall range is between 3 miles/kWh and 5 miles/kWh.

6.  The V2Green system provides communication of vehicle data to a remote computer system. This communication enables the flow of electricity between the grid and the vehicle to be monitored along with other vehicle performance data.

7.  The V2Green system uses two basic components:  The V2Green Connectivity Module (VCM) records and transmits data to the V2Green system and to the PHEV in- vehicle computers for data acquisition. (Includes GPS system.)  The Cellular Data Modem (Raven XCEL) communicates with the V2Green/Gridpoint servers. Data about the vehicles trip information, such as gas consumption, electricity consumption, MPG, Wh/Mile, distance, etc., is uploaded continuously.

8.  At the V2Green website, you can learn about how the system works and interacts with the power grid.  www.v2green.com  You may also log onto the WMU V2Green account and check out the WMU PHEV data.  mycar.v2green.com  User Name: WMU-Guest (case sensitive)  Password: PHEV-1

9. Our research began in December of 2008. We expect to do at least one years worth of research. Currently we look at two categories when evaluating the PHEV and Wind Turbine. Category One: Did the Wind Turbine provide enough electricity for all of the driving done while charging at WMU? Category Two: Did the Wind Turbine provide enough electricity for the PHEV for all of the driving done throughout the month, while in PHEV mode? While charging at WMU, the Wind Turbine has supplied more than enough electricity to charge the PHEV. Overall, we are showing a surplus of electricity generated (used to charge the PHEV) over the course of the research project.

14.  We would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their support!  Community Energy Project Grants (Grant Nu.: PLA – 09 – 27)  Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth  Energy Office  State Energy Program  Consumers Energy Foundation  Western Michigan University and the College of Engineering and Applied Science  Karlis Kaugars, Sam Kallen, Dan Brimmer, and Greg Inglett