Integrating Electric Vehicles into Households – A Decade of Assessing Benefits

Bert Bras, Ph.D., Associate Chair for Administration, Brook Byers Professorship in Energy and Environmental Systems, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

September 21, 2023, 3 - 4 PM ET
Hybrid Event - Teams Link
BBISS Offices, 760 Spring Street, Suite 118
Refreshments will be served.

Abstract: In this talk, we will discuss the integration of electrified vehicles with home energy systems from a homeowner and vehicle owner perspective. Motivated by a car company, this work started over a decade ago comparing the financial and greenhouse gas emission differences between a traditional California household with internal combustion engine powered cars to a household that adopted a lifestyle with electrified vehicles, state of the art appliances and a photovoltaic (PV) array. Current work is focused on implementing an interactive model that will allow EV customers to assess potential financial and greenhouse gas emission savings from integrating EVs, PV, and HES systems in their household (by zip code), as well as the optimum PV and HES size. The model also helps them select the most appropriate locally available utility rate structure. As expected, results indicate variability in savings depending on climate, utility rate structures, and other factors. 

Bio: Dr. Bert Bras is a Professor at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology since September 1992. His research includes a wide range of interdisciplinary sustainable design and manufacturing projects focused on innovative technologies and approaches, including biologically inspired design, life-cycle analyses, and systems modeling, with applications in energy systems, vehicle systems, and manufacturing systems, among others. He has authored and co-authored over 150 publications. From 2001 to 2004, Bert served as the director of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development – the predecessor of BBISS. In 2014, he was named a Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems. He was named the Associate Chair for Administration for the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2016 and briefly served as Interim School Chair in 2018. Dr. Bras has Master of Science (“Ingenieur”) degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Twente (The Netherlands) and a PhD in Operations Research from the University of Houston.  Prior to his PhD, he worked at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN).