Utilities to Join DOE's Plug-In Hybrid Efforts
June 20, 2008
DEARBORN, MI — Assistant Secretary Alexander Karsner announced today that two electric utility companies, Southern California Edison and DTE Energy (Detroit, MI), will join the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership in order to address technical issues regarding market introduction and acceptance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The two utilities will examine the interface between PHEVs and the utility grid, as well as the long-term impact of PHEVs on electricity distribution.
Ultimately, research provided by these new members will assist DOE in making PHEVs cost-competitive with traditional vehicles by 2014 and ready for commercialization by 2016.
The FreedomCAR Partnership was established in 2002 as a private-public partnership between DOE and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), which includes Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation. In 2003, the partnership was changed to the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership with the addition of energy producers BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell. Expanding the partnership to include utilities reflects the future interdependence of our vehicles, our fuel supply and our electrical supply.
The partnership examines and advances pre-competitive, high-risk research and development to generate the components and fuel infrastructure necessary to commercialize affordable cars and light trucks, including fuel cells, hybrids, and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
For more information on this announcement and the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, see the DOE press release or visit the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership website.
