There has been ongoing debate over the last year about whether or not electric utility companies can handle a large influx of electric vehicles charging in people's garages. OnStar is hoping to alleviate these concerns with technologies they've developed for eletric vehicles.
Future versions of the Chevy Volt will be outfitted with the new OnStar feature that allows drivers the ability to continually manage their energy usage. Available to owners that opt in is access to current time of use (TOU) rates that get downloaded into the vehicle's computer. This lets the driver make an informed, possibly money saving, decision when scheduling the Volt's charging time.
This new OnStar technology not only benefits drivers but also their energy providers. OnStar can relay charging information to the utility company so they can plan accordingly and add additional infrastructure where needed.
OnStar demonstrated these planned technologies (plus a few more) on a Chevrolet Volt last week at DistribuTECH, the utility industry's leading smart grid conference. To see the rest of the technologies they have planned click through past the break to see the video.
[Source: General Motors]
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