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The Los Angeles Air Force Base last week became the first federal facility to replace its entire fleet with plug-in electric vehicles.
The 42-vehicle fleet includes both pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including sedans, trucks and a twelve-passenger van. Thirty-six of the 42 electric vehicles (EVs) have the ability to exchange power with the grid and will be able to offer demand response and ancillary services, allowing the base to generate revenue that will partially offset fleet expenses.
The test project is part of the Defense Department’s mission to decrease reliance on fossil fuels, meet energy-efficiency goals, reduce fleet costs, and enhance the military’s operational capability. The ability to pull power off the EV batteries during power-outages can be used to provide energy resiliency.
Bidirectional power flow using EVs is nothing new. What makes this project novel is its size and scale, and the variety of products the DOD is bringing to bear.
Four other military installations will conduct the same tests on the benefits of bidirectional power flow at a smaller scale. All but one will be on-line by January. The installation sites were selected to represent a variety of operational settings and geographical climates.
For more information, check out the full article at GreenTech News.
