It might sound like something from a Jetsons cartoon or, for today's generation, maybe the television show Futurama. But electric transportation is here today. Actually, electric vehicles (EVs) have been around since the late 1800s. While development stalled in earlier years, recent times have seen an increase in EV research and development. Federal, state, and local government agencies, automakers, battery manufacturers, and electric utilities are working together to develop and increase the use of electro-drive technologies.

Used in Business fleet applications and for personal use, electro-drive technology can help to improve air quality, reduce dependence on petroleum, and have a positive impact on global warming. Electric transportation provides a safe, quiet, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline cars. The future looks bright, but there are still challenges to be met and goals to be attained, and GIS is helping to plot the way.

Applying GIS to the Southern California Edison Electric Vehicle Fleet

One of the most mature users of GIS technology, dating back to 1982, is Southern California Edison Company (SCE). SCE's GIS lab is helping to get EVs on the road. As early as 1988, SCE began using EVs in their fleet. Today, their fleet consists of more than 300 EVs being used in real-world applications such as meter reading. ArcView, ArcView Spatial Analyst, and ArcView Network Analyst are used for many electro-drive applications, such as EV trip planning, to determine the battery state-of-charge along a specified route, route planning for electric buses, and what effect the charging of electro-drive technologies will have on the utilities electric system.

While electro-drive technology had been mostly used in EVs, it is rapidly becoming a popular alternative in applications such as forklifts and airport ground support equipment. SCE saw a need for a tool that could provide accurate electro-drive user information for not only their fleet but also their customers. To develop the model, SCE's EV Technical Center provided comprehensive EV data that reflected common variables of different models of EVs under specific conditions including topography. This data was given to the GIS Department to create a model.

"What GIS has done for us is to take this vast amount of EV operational and reliability data that no one else in the industry has compiled and put it in a tool that helps us optimize our EV fleet operation," said Bill West, manager of Business Planning and Compliance for SCE's Electric Transportation Division.

Using ArcInfo for UNIX, and after 12 months of development, an accurate usage model was developed. Variables for the model included start and destination points, current battery state-of-charge, use of auxiliary equipment such as heating or air conditioning, and road grade. The model was made available for use with ArcView Desktop. Users were able to call in and request an ArcView application, input their data, and quickly map the proposed trip and calculate the required battery usage.

SCE GIS then took another step in providing an even more efficient service to its internal customers. The company uploaded its application using ArcView Internet Map Server. Now SCE's meter reading groups, and other departments that utilize EVs, can access the program through the company's internal Web site and route their service stops for the day.

"The model is robust," says Mike Hanna, GIS analyst for SCE. "The more data a user can input, the better we can pinpoint usage. ArcInfo was where the original battery model was created. It's the engine for the model."

It was in 1999 that the service went online. Feedback was impressive. "People were happy," says Hanna. "Within seconds, users can get what they want to know. It's an accurate model that provides a service that didn't exist previously. And it's a unique service. I'm not aware of anything similar. We're using ArcView Network Analyst to perform the shortest path analysis for routing our field crews. The ease of use was a big reason we chose that solution."

SCE GIS is also developing an application for electric bus routing and modeling. While EVs offer a new solution for transportation, bus routes provide a means of getting people off congested highways and into clean, efficient electric-powered buses. SCE GIS feels this technology could be utilized by other agencies.

While battery usage and routing are crucial applications to EV success, just as important is the overall effect that EVs will have on the electricity grid. SCE is using GIS to calculate how that demand will impact current infrastructure.

For more information, contact Mike Hanna, GIS analyst, Southern California Edison (e-mail: hannam@sce.com).