Dive Summary:

• The initiative between Duke, Toyota, and Energy Systems Network aims to test and validate the effectiveness of communication between plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, the charging station, and the utility company.
• The project will have five Duke customers in Indianapolis drive Prius electric vehicles for a year to test the communication system.
• Duke will simulate price structures for the its test customers in order to understand how these types of programs can aid grid reliability going forward.

From the article:

Duke Energy, Toyota Motor Corp. and Energy Systems Network are partnering on a new pilot project in Indiana.

The initiative aims to test and validate the effectiveness of communication standards developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to provide a simple and affordable smart grid communication protocol between plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), the charging station and the utility company - to effectively manage vehicle charging. ...