Cadillac ELR Ready For The Smart Grid
Cadillac has announced its ELR extended range EV will be Smart Grid ready as soon as it comes off the production line.
Using the luxury coupe’s extended range electric vehicle technology
combined with OnStar’s cloud-based connection, the ELR will be able to
communicate with the electric grid and potentially save energy, said
Cadillac.
Per GM’s luxury brand, ELR owners will have access to the OnStar
RemoteLink Mobile App, which in addition to allowing drivers to check
their vehicle’s operating systems and send remote commands, gives them
access to electric vehicle specific functions. Cadillac explained the
EV-tailored app shows owners their vehicle’s current state of charge,
electric range, electric miles driven and eMPG, or equivalency of
electric miles per gallon.
The RemoteLink Mobile App will also allow ELR owners to control and
schedule vehicle charging, including an option to charge during off-peak
hours when electricity rates are lowest.
“While RemoteLink is really our first Smart Grid service to be
available for consumers, the same connection we use to enable the app’s
EV functions can be used to open the door for more energy cost and load
control benefits,” said Russ Eling, manager, Smart Grid and EV Services,
General Motors.
OnStar said it has four unique Smart Grid APIs, or Application
Programming Interfaces, that utilities and third-party companies can
work with to develop real-world solutions for the ELR. They are, as
stated by Cadillac:
- Demand response – This future service connects utilities to companies that have intelligent energy management products, allowing OnStar to manage energy use for ELR customers who opt in for the service. Benefits include saving money on energy costs and enabling more efficient use of the electric grid.
- Time-of-Use rates – OnStar can receive dynamic time-of-use pricing from utilities and notify ELR owners of the rate plan offers via email. Owners would be able to use OnStar to load the rate plans directly into their vehicle and access them to schedule charging during lower-rate periods.
- Charging data – OnStar can send and receive EV data including location-based EV data that identifies charging locations and determines potential load scenarios.
- Aggregated services – This solution allows electric service providers to manage the charging of participating vehicles in a given geographic area, with customer consent. This includes the ability to control charging on a large amount of EVs simultaneously. These services could potentially result in a more efficient use of clean energy.
An example of an aggregated service solution given by Cadillac would
be charging with renewable energy. A regional transmission organization
could send OnStar a signal letting it know that renewable energy is
available on the electric grid. OnStar then uses this signal to manage
the charging of one or multiple EVs in order to utilize the available
renewable energy.
OnStar said it recently partnered with TimberRock Energy Solutions,
Inc. using Demand Response to aid with TimberRock’s ability to store and
charge with solar energy. OnStar’s Smart Grid research is made possible
by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Cadillac said ELR owners will get access to OnStar services like
Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Hands-Free Calling, Vehicle Diagnostics,
Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Assistance.
OnStar’s premium Directions & Connection package will come standard on the Cadillac ELR for one year.
