The GridSmartCity project will utilize EnergyAxis to integrate the first electric vehicle to be used in a commercial fleet in Canada. The project will study potential broad-scale vehicle electrification in commercial fleet applications.
Elster’s EnergyAxis will enable Burlington Hydro to remotely monitor and control electricity consumption patterns at a vehicle charging station in Burlington, and to understand how to develop recharging infrastructure and integrate EVs onto the smart grid.
For the GridSmartCity project, Burlington Hydro plans to incorporate electric vehicle into its working fleet for a collaborative one-year study and demonstration project with the University of Waterloo, Transport Canada, Elster and other industry players, including Eaton and Pioneer Petroleum. Pioneer Petroleum will operate an EV charging station at one of its retail gas stations.
The GridSmartCity project will assess peak versus off-peak electricity demands and the potential to use vehicle batteries to store supplemental power, which could be made available to reduce peak loads on the electricity grid.
Mark Munday, president and CEO of Elster, said: “Burlington Hydro’s GridSmartCity is a key initiative for converting today’s electricity and transportation systems into tomorrow’s smart grid, and Elster is proud to be an integral part of this innovative EV project.
“Development of the smart grid and the market for all-electric vehicles are interdependent. The electrification of vehicles will rely on an electricity grid infrastructure capable of meeting the needs of vehicle users in a practical, efficient and cost competitive way, and this project could serve as an important step in the wider adoption of electric vehicles.”
