Sunday 21 November 2010

Utilities thrilled and worried about electric cars

New York • The first mass-market electric cars go on sale next month, and the nation’s electric utilities couldn’t be more thrilled — or worried.
Plugged into a socket, an electric car can draw as much power as a small house. The surge in demand could knock out power to a home, or even a neighborhood. That has utilities in parts of California, Texas and North Carolina scrambling to upgrade transformers and other equipment in neighborhoods where the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt are expected to be in high demand.
Not since air conditioning spread across the country in the 1950s and 1960s has the power industry faced such a growth opportunity. Last year, Americans spent $325 billion on gasoline, and utilities would love even a small piece of that market.
The main obstacles to wide-scale use of electric cars are high cost and limited range, at least until a network of charging stations is built. But utility executives fret that difficulties keeping the lights on for the first crop of buyers—and their neighbors—could slow the growth of this new niche.
"You never get a second chance to make a first impression," says Mike Rowand, who is in charge of electric vehicle planning at Duke Energy.

Automakers to Roll-Out EVs in the US Market

American carmakers have laid out big plans to launch electric vehicles or EVs in the US market by next month.
The world's second largest automaker General Motors announced it will launch sales of its first EV vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt in December.
Volt won the title of "2011 Green Car of the Year" at the LA Auto Show.
The vehicle is capable of running up to 64 kilometers on a single charge and once its battery power is depleted it would operate its internal combustion engine to supply electric power to travel up to 480 kilometers.


New study has bad news for electric vehicle makers

Automakers who have invested in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids may have difficulty selling those products in the UK, according to a study released today.
Technology and services company Bosch's survey entitled, 'Driving Green Britain' discovered only five per cent of motorists planning to buy a new car would consider green credentials.

When asked to rank what was the main influence behind their purchase decision, 63 per cent of motorists surveyed said that price was the most important factor, closely followed by 56 per cent who said vehicle size was also influential. Motorists ranked design, style, brand and safety ahead of a car’s environmental impact, saying that green vehicles are just too expensive.

Impact for automakers
Withimpending release of green vehicles, the results of this study couldpose concerns for automakers. Nissan willrelease its EV, LEAF in the UK early next year along with Toyota’sexpected release of the Prius Plug-in EV later in the year. 

Peter Fouquet, president of Bosch in the UK, said that consumer attitudes provide a challenge for companies that want to invest in green automotive technologies.


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