The US Air Force has unveiled its first non-strategic vehicle fleet composed entirely of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles at Los Angeles Air Force Base.
The Plug-in Electric Vehicle fleet includes both electric and hybrid vehicles ranging from sedans to trucks and a 12-passenger van.
Assistant secretary of the Air Force Miranda A. A. Ballentine and vice commander Robert McMurry, along with state and industry representatives were present to officially unveil the 42-vehicle fleet marking a milestone.
It’s a really great demonstration project, which will be under observation for a year. It’s part of a much larger Department of Defense focus on energy security, energy supply assurance, energy resiliency and energy demand reduction, said, Ballentine.
California energy providers associated with the Air Force on safety and technical features during the roll out of vehicles.
These vehicles use V2G (vehicle-to-grid) technology to charge directly from the electrical grid and return power when idle, adding up to a large amount of power to help prevent brown-outs by balancing demand against supply.
In near future, the Air Force plans to expand the V2G feature to other bases adding more capabilities like using worn batteries for energy storage.
Sabeena Wahid
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