IBM has teamed with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to develop a new pilot project that will allow communication between electric vehicles (EVs) and the power grid.

Photo: Honda Fit EV

Within the project electric vehicles will be tested for the ability to receive and respond to charge instructions based on the grid condition and the vehicle’s battery state. It will allow energy to more effectively manage charging during peak hours. The main idea behind the project is to promote electric vehicle adoption. The new level of intelligence will help make charging seamless for consumers.

According to IBM, plug-in vehicle counts continue to grow to an expected 2.9 million worldwide by 2017. This is the reason to make the communication between EVs and the power grid more stable and user-friendly.

Within the pilot project, an individualized charging plan for Honda’s Fit EV battery electric vehicles (BEV) will be created and supported using IBM’s cloud-based software platform.

«This pilot project with IBM and Honda will help us demonstrate that third-party providers have the systems and capabilities to help meet some of the challenges that electric vehicles could place on the power grid as their adoption increases in the coming years,» said Saul Zambrano, senior director for consumer products for PG&E. «With updated charging patterns for EVs, we have the ability if needed, to shift demand to non-peak times to ensure the reliability of the grid so that we can continue to deliver safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers.»

In addition, IBM has recently launched EKZ Smartphone Application pilot to help engage consumers and “encourage more drivers to ‘plug in.’” Currently, IBM is involved in more than 150 smart grid engagements globally.