The University of South Carolina Upstate announced Friday one of its researchers has landed a grant to study efficient charging solutions for electric vehicles.
Ona Egbue, assistant professor of engineering technology management in USC Upstate’s Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, has secured a $363,000 National Science Foundation grant.
The grant will be used for a three-year project titled “An Integrated Framework for the Optimal Control of Vehicle-to-Grid Systems.”
“The problem arises when there is a connection of a large number of electric vehicles to the electric grid,” Egbue said in a statement. “As an example, think of a large electric vehicle parking lot: If the lot is full and every car is charging, this could present some challenges in terms of how to manage this increased electricity demand. However, if managed well, this scenario can present opportunities, particularly in a smart grid.”
USC Upstate said Egbue’s work will focus on vehicle-to-grid systems where electric vehicle batteries can be used to help balance the demand for electricity against the supply.
“Actually, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that you’ve got that extra load from all the vehicles you have to charge,” she added. “It can actually be a good thing because they can act as energy storage sources for the grid.”
Egbue said the needs of car owners must be the primary concern.
She said the study will address the current “gap” in research on the integration of plug-in electric vehicles into the power grid.
The award began Sept. 15 and will end Aug. 31, 2020.
She will collaborate with a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
