We have briefly discussed in other threads the effects on the power grid if plug in overnight electric cars became popular. From this link we get:
"But if the entire car fleet were switched to electric, that could put a major dent in oil use and cause prices to drop substantially. Cambridge said gasoline use would plummet by 70% in the United States if all passenger vehicles were electric, while electricity consumption would rise by just one-sixth."
And this link says:
"The study concludes that 'the growing number of plug-in hybrid electric cars and trucks could require major new power generation resources or none at all -- depending on when people recharge their automobiles.'"
And to add to the fun, this treehugger link says:
"The nation's existing electric power grid could fuel as many as 180 million electric cars, a Department of Energy study estimates."
This one makes interesting reading. In part, but go read the article, esp the comments:
"Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers claim if pluggable hybrids don't get recharged until after 10 PM then they will require little or no additional electric power plants."
Note it's about plug in hybrids, not pure electric vehicles.
So if timers were set up to do the recharge after 10 p.m., for example, there will be little or no added demand for new power plants over the next few years as the number of electric cars grows. And that doesn't even take into account various schemes to use plugged in electric cars as power reserves for the grid.
Certainly, more power plants will eventually be needed. But there's plenty of time to build them. It'll be 2020 or 2030, according to many articles, before electrics are a significant part of the market. I suspect that if a car like the EV-1 were to be readily available today, even for five or ten thousand more than the equivalent gas version, it would sell like hotcakes. Get the product out there, watch how fast it sells.
So much for my bias. Here's the question:
Do you think there's a near term future for a practical pure electric vehicle? Defined as capable of 60 mph and minimum 100 mile range, works in Maine in the winter, and either has no internal combustion engine or only a small one to do limited recharging of the batteries. And not cost more than 25% more than an equivalent size/quality gas vehicle (never mind the speed/range).
- Yes, we should see that by 2012 (keep in mind the Chevy Volt)
- Yes, by 2020 there will be a few such cars
- Maybe by 2030
- We won't likely see such a car for the next 50 years
- Electric cars will never compete well against fossil fuel cars
"But if the entire car fleet were switched to electric, that could put a major dent in oil use and cause prices to drop substantially. Cambridge said gasoline use would plummet by 70% in the United States if all passenger vehicles were electric, while electricity consumption would rise by just one-sixth."
And this link says:
"The study concludes that 'the growing number of plug-in hybrid electric cars and trucks could require major new power generation resources or none at all -- depending on when people recharge their automobiles.'"
And to add to the fun, this treehugger link says:
"The nation's existing electric power grid could fuel as many as 180 million electric cars, a Department of Energy study estimates."
This one makes interesting reading. In part, but go read the article, esp the comments:
"Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers claim if pluggable hybrids don't get recharged until after 10 PM then they will require little or no additional electric power plants."
Note it's about plug in hybrids, not pure electric vehicles.
So if timers were set up to do the recharge after 10 p.m., for example, there will be little or no added demand for new power plants over the next few years as the number of electric cars grows. And that doesn't even take into account various schemes to use plugged in electric cars as power reserves for the grid.
Certainly, more power plants will eventually be needed. But there's plenty of time to build them. It'll be 2020 or 2030, according to many articles, before electrics are a significant part of the market. I suspect that if a car like the EV-1 were to be readily available today, even for five or ten thousand more than the equivalent gas version, it would sell like hotcakes. Get the product out there, watch how fast it sells.
So much for my bias. Here's the question:
Do you think there's a near term future for a practical pure electric vehicle? Defined as capable of 60 mph and minimum 100 mile range, works in Maine in the winter, and either has no internal combustion engine or only a small one to do limited recharging of the batteries. And not cost more than 25% more than an equivalent size/quality gas vehicle (never mind the speed/range).
- Yes, we should see that by 2012 (keep in mind the Chevy Volt)
- Yes, by 2020 there will be a few such cars
- Maybe by 2030
- We won't likely see such a car for the next 50 years
- Electric cars will never compete well against fossil fuel cars
