Reliable energy is essential to daily life - and outages can have serious consequences, especially in communities with aging infrastructure or limited access to power.
Pragasen Pillay, a professor and research chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is leading a Volt-Age Impact Project exploring how electric vehicles (EVs) could act as mobile energy sources while supporting sustainable energy systems. By integrating transportation, energy storage and renewable technologies, his team seeks to help communities stay powered during emergencies while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
"Electric and hybrid-electric vehicles are more than transportation. They can store energy and supply power when it's needed most," Pillay says. "Our goal is to strengthen community resilience and develop solutions that work for urban areas and remote communities."
Connecting vehicles to local energy systems
At the Future Buildings Lab at Concordia's Loyola Campus, Pillay and his team of graduate students are testing hybrid and electric vehicles alongside solar panels and heat pump systems. The research focuses on extending EV range and improving battery performance in cold climates.
