RICHLAND -- An Oregon company wants the Tri-Cities to be ready for electric vehicles.
A company representative made a presentation Monday to about 18 community and business leaders on the OpConnect Electric Vehicle Charging System at the Richland Community Center.
The Tri-Cities may be small but it's forward-looking, said Nathan Isaacs, business development manager for Beaverton, Ore.-based Optimization Technologies, and a former Herald reporter.
Electric vehicles are a viable alternative to vehicles that run on fossil fuel technology, and they are expected soon to grow in a big way, Isaacs said while talking about the benefits of the charging system his company has developed.
The production of electric cars like Nissan's Leaf and General Motors' Chevy Volt is being highly anticipated because they will help reduce carbon emissions, he said. "If you wait until something happens, then you're too late."
A DOE pilot project already is under way in several metro communities across the nation, including Seattle and Portland, to promote electric vehicles. The first part of the plan is to set up 2,500 charging stations before Nissan makes available 1,000 of its electric cars in those communities late next year, he said.
Though the whole concept may be more applicable to large metro areas, it has potential use in the communities like the Tri-Cities, Isaacs said.
A few years ago PNNL researchers concluded that the nation's electric grid could meet the needs of about 70 percent of all U.S. light duty vehicles if their batteries were charged during nonpeak hours. And his presentation is the next step to educate decision makers about a new technology, he said.
His company's system can be used by residential customers, businesses and public agencies, he said.
The system runs on a software with multiple smart applications that help customers charge their vehicles during nonpeak hours, help utility companies manage grid load, integrate renewable energies and provide useful data to car and battery manufacturers, Isaacs said.
The presence of more charging stations will help remove range anxiety for EV drivers, he said.
The system, which can simultaneously serve about four vehicles, can be installed -- ready for use -- for about $10,000, he said. A stripped-down home version would cost about $1,000.
It typically would take about two hours to fully recharge a battery, though a lot would depend on the battery and charging process, he said. Some of the new cars prevent total drainage of battery power by shutting off some ancillary operations, he said. That helps makes sure you never have to begin charging your car battery from an absolute low point, he said.
It's a futuristic concept but Ben Franklin Transit would be interested in looking at the commercial version of the product as electric transit buses become popular, said Dick Ciccone, maintenance and special projects manager at BFT.
-- Pratik Joshi: 582-1541; pjoshi@tricityherald.com; Business Beat blog at www.tricityherald.com
Similar stories:
ONLINE VOTE: PNNL technology in energy contest (w/video)
ONLINE VOTE: PNNL technology in energy contest (w/video)
Online voting has started in the Department of Energy’s “America’s Next Top Innovator” challenge.
DOE has selected 14 promising start-up companies for the competition, including one that is bringing technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to market.
Vorbeck Materials, of Jessup, Md., is using technology developed at the DOE national lab in Richland to build better lithium-ion batteries.
PNNL technology in energy contest (w/video)
PNNL technology in energy contest (w/video)
A startup company using technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one of 14 competitors picked for the Department of Energy's "America's Next Top Innovator" challenge.
The public can help pick the winner by voting online at energy.gov/top innovator through Feb. 5.
Vorbeck Materials, of Jessup, Md., is using technology developed at the DOE national lab in Richland to build better lithium-ion batteries.
West Richland expected to OK Shelby car plant
West Richland expected to OK Shelby car plant
Shelby SuperCars plans to build cars at a new manufacturing facility at Keene Road and Belmont Boulevard in West Richland.
The creator of the world-record-setting Ultimate Aero and the recently introduced $1 million Tuatara wants to build a nearly 27,300-square-foot facility on four acres of city-owned land, said Ruth Swain, the city's economic development director.
The city council is expected to approve a resolution tonight supporting the project. The endorsement is needed as part of the process to get a $830,000 grant from the state Community Economic Revitalization Board, Swain said.
Bedbug imaging created at PNNL licensed to start ups
Bedbug imaging created at PNNL licensed to start ups
RICHLAND -- Bedbugs could be the next target of scanning technology developed originally at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to screen passengers boarding airplanes.
It is among three technologies developed at the Department of Energy national lab in Richland that have been licensed to young companies as part of a White House initiative. They include millimeter wave technology to be used to see inside walls to detect insects hiding there, plus advances to improve rechargeable batteries and fuel cells.
The White House announced the Startup America initiative earlier this year to make licensing new technologies affordable for start-up companies, with goals of bringing more national lab technologies to market and providing good-paying jobs to help the economy.
Community copes with 2,000 Hanford layoffs
Community copes with 2,000 Hanford layoffs
Editor's note: Hanford started this year with 12,000 workers and nine months later about 2,000 positions have been cut. Herald reporters and photographers take a closer look at what this means to Tri-Citians and our economy with a daily series of stories that begins today.
The day after the last of almost 2,000 workers were told they were losing their jobs at Hanford, Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar opened at the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick.
Business has been excellent, said general manager Will Willingham. Customers have been filling its 267 seats, with waits of up to 30 minutes on some nights.
Print
Email Story
