As a result of the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), interfaces between vehicles, buildings and the grid are becoming increasingly important areas of technology and business development. One example is the emergence of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) as a hot area for technology innovation and investment.
For instance, “smart charging” for electric vehicles has potential to add value to building owners and grid operators by allowing them to monitor the status of electric vehicles and more efficiently deploy energy assets. In the home, smart charging can provide individuals with more control over their energy use, allowing them to set charging preferences according to factors such as availability of renewable energy and time-of-day electricity rates.
But the opportunities don’t end with smart charging. With the expansion of ITS technologies across the country, dreams of smart street lights, smart parking and seamless integration across multiple modes of transportation are quickly becoming reality. Ongoing research is enabling vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) technologies to come to life.
NextEnergy is looking at IoT and ITS technologies as an important area of our work accelerating advanced energy technologies, because:
ITS technologies have the potential to change the economics and business case for electric vehicles through new functionality such as bi-directional vehicle charging
ITS technologies improve overall transportation and energy use, enabling the whole system to become more efficient through new fleet management solutions and apps on smartphones that reduce unnecessary fuel use by pre-locating parking spaces
At NextEnergy we provide a living lab environment to test, validate and demonstrate the business case for IoT and ITS technologies that provide new applications for transportation, buildings, and the grid. Examples of the living lab at NextEnergy include:
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program with Chrysler Group LLC
Wireless automotive technologies demonstrations with lab partner Qualcomm
Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) activities with the US Department of Transportation leveraging dedicated short range communications (DSRC)
Source: NextEnergy
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