- Powerful Ford F-150® Lightning™ all-electric
truck batteries have vehicle-to-grid two-way charging
capabilities.
- Growing number of electric vehicle batteries could provide
extensive value to customers and grid.
ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 16,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is
looking at new ways customers in Florida may one day be able to use two-way, or
bidirectional, charging from electric vehicles to power their own
homes during outages and to help support the power grid.
The company will launch a research and development pilot program
in the state to test and evaluate the viability of the new Ford
F-150 Lightning all-electric truck's high-capacity
batteries as a grid edge resource that could help transform the
energy system.
As part of the pilot, Duke Energy will add approximately five
Ford F-150 Lightning trucks to its Florida fleet and perform additional testing
of the technology, with a focus on leveraging homes that have solar
energy and stationary storage. Using the Ford Charge Station Pro
and Intelligent Backup Power Home Integration System's
bidirectional charging infrastructure, the company will perform
extensive testing using the vehicles to feed and draw energy from
the power grid. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration will push and
pull energy between the connected electric trucks and the grid in a
bidirectional energy flow.
The pilot will focus on real-world use cases with the Ford F-150
Lightning to benefit the grid – such as how the vehicle interacts
with other customer-owned distributed energy resources (like
rooftop photovoltaic – or PV – solar and customer home batteries),
how the truck's battery performs powering customers' homes during
an outage, how the vehicles will be used to feed the grid during
peak times of use, and how such usage might impact the trucks'
batteries over time.
"We're continually testing clean energy innovations to gauge how
they perform in complex real-life scenarios," said Lon Huber, Duke Energy's senior vice president
of pricing and customer solutions. "Like our customers, we're
excited about the prospects of these advancements, and we're
working to evaluate them in controlled environments so we can find
ways to maximize their value and benefits."
Testing driven by the future
The F-150 Lightning is the smartest, most innovative F-150 that
Ford has ever built – a 10-kilowatt smart distributed energy
resource with extensive and continuous software updates – and
offers the functionality of a full-sized truck with even more
innovative features, designed for electric charging rather than
fuel consumption.
"Ford's electric vehicles are unlocking new possibilities in
energy management for our customers, becoming valuable energy
storage sources that are changing the game on the benefits an EV
can deliver," said Steven Croley,
chief policy officer and general counsel, Ford Motor Company.
"Alongside Duke Energy and our mutual customers, we're working to
fine-tune and expand these capabilities that will not only power
their lives, but also accelerate the development of a less
carbon-intensive grid."
All-electric vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lightning
contain an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine
and essentially can act as an electric power generator on wheels.
Expanded storage through connected EV batteries offers more
capacity to capture and store valuable energy. That energy can then
be used for customers' personal needs (vehicle-to-home, or V2H) or
delivered back to the power grid (V2G) to help support the demand
for electricity when it is highest.
With the F-150 Lightning Ford introduced Intelligent Backup
Power, a feature that when purchased with the necessary
installation equipment can allow customers to power their homes for
up to 10 days during a power outage, all from the vehicle's
battery. Sunrun, one of the nation's leading home solar panel and
energy storage companies, is the preferred installer for F-150
Lightning home charging solutions and will contribute to the
charging and Intelligent Backup Power infrastructure for the
Ford-150 Lightning.
"The potential is enormous when it comes to emerging
vehicle-to-grid technologies," said Huber. "As a clean energy
leader, we're committed to helping shape the net-zero-carbon
landscape. This includes working hands-on to validate new
technologies that can benefit our customers and sustain the clean,
smart and reliable grid of the future."
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of
America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities
serve 8.2 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves
1.6 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000
people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition
to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural
gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric
generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050
net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions.
In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid
enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power
generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired
Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More
information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke
Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos
and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories
about people, innovations, community topics and environmental
issues. Follow Duke Energy
on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in
Dearborn, Michigan, that is
committed to helping build a better world, where every person is
free to move and pursue their dreams. The company's Ford+ plan for
growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new
capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich
experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford
develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport
utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles, as well as connected
services. Additionally, Ford is establishing leadership positions
in mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford
employs about 182,000 people worldwide. More information about the
company, its products and Ford Credit is available at
corporate.ford.com.
Duke Energy media contact: Logan
Kureczka
800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy