Rocky Mountain Institute Smart Garage Charrette Pre-Read

The document introduces the 'Smart Garage' concept—the convergence of electrified vehicles, smart grids, and building energy systems—and provides a framework for a stakeholder charrette to overcome implementation barriers. RMI's financial modeling suggests that while basic convenience charging (V0G) is costly, integrated scenarios like Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) can be profitable, with V2B estimated at a net present value of $34B. The briefing identifies critical technical and business barriers, such as battery costs and lack of standardization, and outlines 'hot topics' for debate, including control of charging and the role of government subsidies.

• The 'Smart Garage' is defined as the integration of transport, the electricity grid, and the built environment through electrified vehicles and their smart integration with the grid, aiming to improve efficiency and transparency for consumers.
• RMI's financial analysis indicates that the net present value (NPV) of vehicle and grid integration ranges from -$63B to +$34B depending on the connectivity scenario. Convenience charging (V0G) is the most costly at -$63B, while Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) is the most profitable of the near-term options at $34B, followed by Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) at $15B.
• The profitability of the Smart Garage system is highly sensitive to key variables, including battery costs, gasoline prices, and government incentives. For instance, costly scenarios could reach a positive NPV of $10B if the government provided a $6,700 per vehicle subsidy or if gasoline prices rose to $6 per gallon.
• While utilities and battery makers are identified as clear winners across all financial scenarios, OEMs and consumers are likely to lose money due to high capital costs for vehicles, suggesting a need for new ownership or sales models.
• Implementation of the Smart Garage faces ten primary barriers categorized as technical (e.g., battery manufacturing scale and lack of standards), business (e.g., high drivetrain costs and proprietary systems), and institutional (e.g., lack of cross-industry collaboration).
• Electrified vehicles can serve as a 'killer application' for the Smart Grid by providing grid storage that helps 'firm' intermittent renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, by absorbing power during low-demand periods and discharging it during peaks.

APA

RMI (2010). Rocky Mountain Institute Smart Garage Charrette Pre-Read. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_PreRead_v2.1_Core.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Rocky Mountain Institute Smart Garage Charrette Pre-Read. 2010. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_PreRead_v2.1_Core.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Rocky Mountain Institute Smart Garage Charrette Pre-Read |date=6 October 2010 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_PreRead_v2.1_Core.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2010rocky, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Rocky Mountain Institute Smart Garage Charrette Pre-Read}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2010}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_PreRead_v2.1_Core.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }