SAN RAMON, Calif., March 22, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor and Borg Warner successfully demonstrated Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities from a Monarch MK-V tractor through a Borg Warner 60 kW DC Fast Charger, orchestrated by Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system using the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP).
The consortium team, funded by a $3 million California Energy Commission (CEC) grant to develop “Vehicle to Building” technology, demonstrated the first deployment of V2G capabilities from the 100% electric Monarch MK-V tractor at PG&E’s Applied Technology Services (ATS) center in San Ramon, California.
The demonstration marks the completion of technology development for high-power export from the Monarch MK-V tractor and Gridtractor’s open-standards charge management system, integrated with Borg Warner’s 60 kW DC Fast Charger. Designed as a versatile 3-in-1 electrification tool, the MK-V functions as a tractor, utility vehicle, and a powerful electric generator, enabling high-capacity energy exports like this demonstration.
Once available, this integrated system will enable owners of the MK-V tractor to minimize charging costs and earn revenue by participating in a number of dynamic rate and demand response programs, in addition to existing fuel savings from EV operations. This will be facilitated using Gridtractor’s energy market integrations and load scheduling applications.
The system will also facilitate “automated load management” — coordination of charging and discharging with other site loads to maximize the use of existing electrical services without exceeding their capacity — for irrigation pump sites, wineries and any facility convenient for charging. With flexible, scalable IoT and market integrations, and native OCPP-based architecture, the Gridtractor platform can connect any energy market or program with any Vehicle Grid Integration (VGI) application.
A variety of incentives and grants combined with bill savings from recently approved dynamic rates programs will enable agricultural customers to increase the already attractive ROI of electrifying MK-V tractor fleets while contributing to the reliability of the grid in their communities.
About Gridtractor
Gridtractor operates a platform to optimize rural and farm vehicle charging using existing electrical services and integrate them with dynamic energy markets and load management programs. For more information, visit http://www.gridtractor.com and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Monarch Tractor
Founded in 2018, Monarch Tractor’s MK-V is the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor that combines electrification, automation, machine learning, and data analysis to enhance farmers’ existing operations, cut overhead costs, reduce emissions, increase labor productivity, and improve safety. With cutting-edge technology, global reach, and an experienced team, Monarch is delivering meaningful change for the future of farming. For more information, please contact Sandya Kola at skola@monarchtractor.com or visit https://www.monarchtractor.com/ and follow on LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Borg Warner
Borg Warner develops and manufactures next-generation bi-directional electric vehicle charging infrastructure, high-efficiency power conversion systems and energy management system (EMS) software for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capable electric vehicle fleet charging, energy storage and microgrid applications.
Source: Gridtractor