Austin, Texas, has visions of plug-in hybrids powering grid during peak hours
Austin Energy, the public utility in the Texas capital, wants plug-in hybrids to do more than reduce fuel consumption in the area. The city hopes that the vehicles can get charged during the off-peak hours at night, then return a few watts to grid during peak hours. Officials realize the time frame involved before plug-in hybrids become commonplace on the streets.
"But the concept is solid," said an Austin Energy official.
Austin is taking the lead in promoting plug-in hybrids. Plug-in Partners was founded in Austin. It's a national coalition of governments, businesses and non-profit groups dedicated to proving there is a market for PHEVs.
Under the energy swap plan, the vehicle owners would be charged for electricity at night and credited during the afternoon. The goal is to provide renewable energy during the night.
This is not a new idea. An associate professor from the University of Delaware wrote about vehicle-to-grid concepts 10 years ago.
[Source: Elizabeth White / Associated Press via Herald Democrat]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kballs 3:09PM (4/03/2007)
This seems useless to me... so I charge my car at night, then drive to work (draining the batteries some), then plug in at work (saving my company money on electricity - not me), then when I need to drive home my battery is dead so I have to burn a bunch of gas.
Or, if they think peak hours are evening hours when everyone gets home: charge car at night, drive to work, drive home, battery is dead from driving - nothing left to put back into the grid when I plug in, instead taking electricity FROM the grid to charge the battery during peak hours.
This doesn't even take into account the extra wear on the batteries that I'll have to replace a lot more often, or the extra cost, volume, and weight of having really big batteries that can handle both powering the car AND the house.
Why not use a fixed installation of batteries and/or flywheels to store up charge at night and feed back to the house during the day/afternoon/evening? It would be cheaper and more efficient, and wouldn't rely on people's cars to be in certain places at certain times.
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