The simulation of vehicle-to-home systems – using electric vehicle battery storage to smooth domestic electricity demand

Abstract

We present a study into the feasibility of vehicle-to-home technology. A model of a single house and single electric vehicle operating vehicle-to-home was developed in MatLab Simulink ®. The model takes an input household appliance demand profile and vehicle use data and controls the power flow between the electric grid, the appliances and the vehicle. Running the appliances off the vehicle battery in an attempt to reduce the household peak power demand is the aim in vehicle-to-home. Three commutes of distance 2 miles, 30 miles and 80 miles were simulated to investigate the effect of vehicle use on vehicle-to-home. The two shorter distances allowed vehicle-to-home to work with no problems. The 80 miles journey was at the limit of the electric vehicle range and therefore caused a small problem when operating vehicle-to-home. All three cases reduced the peak power demand and increased the load factor. These modifications to the household demand profile would potentially be environmentally and financially beneficial to the electrical generation sector.