Argonne Leads the Charge with On-Site Electric Charging Stations

The EV Charging Pilot Program makes use of solar panels on a tracking array mount that allows the panels to tilt toward the sun. Electric vehicle charging stations are shown in front of the solar array. Larger image.

As part of Argonne's continuing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, several electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will soon be installed around the laboratory campus as part of Argonne's EV Charging Pilot Program. The first charger went live on April 21, 2011 during Argonne's Earth Day celebration.

In addition to displacing petroleum through the use of EVs and plug-in hybrids, the program will include the installation of a solar power array and wind turbine to provide clean, renewable electricity for charging.

Not only will the program offer a means for recharging both employee-owned and laboratory fleet EVs and plug-in hybrids, it also gives transportation researchers a real-world test bed to gather data and validate smart charging technologies.

"There is good synergy between Argonne's EV Charging Pilot Program and our ongoing smart charging and smart grid technology development projects," said Ted Bohn, principal electrical engineer in Argonne's Transportation Technology Research & Development Center (TTRDC). See "Get Smart: Argonne Research Enables Smart Grid" for more on these projects.

On Earth Day, Argonne gave employees a preview of the new charging infrastructure with various activities promoting the laboratory's most recent efforts to go greener.

Renewable Energy Sources

The solar energy will come from twelve 3.8 kW Sunpower panels with a DC/AC inverter and a tracking array mount that allows the mounted panels to tilt toward the sun, guaranteeing an optimal angle for power generation. The solar array will also feature a monitor to track how much electricity is being generated by sunlight.

A 60-foot, free-standing Skystream 3.7 wind turbine will supply wind power. The deployment of charging stations will begin this year with 20 parking spots strategically located around the lab's 1,500-acre campus. The eventual goal is to have enough charging stations to accommodate five percent of Argonne employees, which equates to 160 parking spaces.

Electrifying Argonne's Fleet

Although commercial EVs and plug-ins are just starting to hit the consumer market, the laboratory already has five all-electric vehicles in its fleet, with plans to add more in the future. Its small, Hummer-like EVs from E-Ride Industries get up to 55 miles on one charge and cost less than $5 to charge, making the cost savings significant.

"They are the perfect solution for the stop-and-go deliveries made around the Argonne campus," said John Surdey, manager of Argonne's vehicle fleet. "The vehicles require little maintenance—we just need to add some distilled water once a month."

As a member of the Grid Interaction Tech Team, Bohn is excited about the prospect of having a small-scale, functioning EV charging infrastructure on site.

"As a laboratory focused on energy R&D, this is the right thing to do," Bohn said. "But it's also a great research tool for us as we pursue the development and validation of smart charging
and smart grid technologies. We can use this on-site charging infrastructure for data collection and for field tests on our new prototype technologies, such as software-defined radios and compact metrology units."

The installation of the charging stations, solar array and wind turbine will be completed sometime in 2011.

Funding for this work is being provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Program under the direction of Lee Slezak and Argonne National Laboratory's Greenhouse Gas Energy Conservation Account, Facilities General, under the direction of Mike Dunn.

May 2011

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