No,
there isn’t a campaign to socialize our high utility costs.
Instead, different strategies
to deal with the issue of providing energy to the growing electric car market are
being explored in different countries. Currently, in America, there are charge
stations available in certain locations, but nothing designed to support a broad
customer base.
In Israel, the electric car
market has been developing over the last few years (since 2008), and it looks
like 2011 is the big debut as electric cars and chargers flood the Israeli
market, intended to ultimately represent 30% of the market. They have met their
deadline so far, and one of the pressing issues is how Israel, who depends a
lot on burning coal and oil for energy, will be able to provide the energy for
the vehicles to run and for society to continue to run smoothly.
The proposed model is that the
projected two million cars (yes million) will be connected to a grid and
managed by shared software that will coordinate and manage recharging “without
the addition of a single generator or transmission line.” How this will be
accomplished is not specified but we can guess.
One of the issues of electricity is that, in general, it cannot be stored. The required amount of energy is generated as needed. The supply is carefully calculated to meet the demand. Multiple lines and safety mechanisms are in place to redirect energy as needed. In cases where the demand and supply are too far apart, a blackout can occur. The batteries in the cars are able to store energy however, and the cars can be used to provide a grid-tied electrical system which can provide energy to the local electric grid. Although not mentioned, this is likely what is intended. The Batteries provide an extra safety, being able to absorb excess energy if needed and to provide it in case of shortage.
The more widespread the adoption of the system is, the more stable it will be, as that reduces market fluctuations, and more importantly needs requirements, which is essential to a reliable electrical system.
One of the issues of electricity is that, in general, it cannot be stored. The required amount of energy is generated as needed. The supply is carefully calculated to meet the demand. Multiple lines and safety mechanisms are in place to redirect energy as needed. In cases where the demand and supply are too far apart, a blackout can occur. The batteries in the cars are able to store energy however, and the cars can be used to provide a grid-tied electrical system which can provide energy to the local electric grid. Although not mentioned, this is likely what is intended. The Batteries provide an extra safety, being able to absorb excess energy if needed and to provide it in case of shortage.
The more widespread the adoption of the system is, the more stable it will be, as that reduces market fluctuations, and more importantly needs requirements, which is essential to a reliable electrical system.
Although the environmental impact
of all these cars will be minimal due to Israel’s dependence on coal, it will
improve as they adopt alternatives. In that sense America is in a better
position since some states such as California rely primarily on other sources besides
coal to generate electricity--which diminishes the carbon footprint of electric cars in those states.
In Germany, an alternative system called Drehstromnetz,
relies instead on a non profit business model where cars can be recharged at a
residential charging station. There are some incentives to encourage
individuals to provide a station. They are notified ahead of time by the
prospective chargee and are paid according to the honor system, say, an envelope
under the door. Those who do not wish to, may pay a yearly subscription fee which
goes toward helping on-the–fence adopters make the transition toward the
decision to host a station easier. It’s kind of like House Sitters International,
but for cars...in Germany.
Anyway, these sound like good ideas, and although I’m not sure how
well either of them would work here, I think would be interesting-especially for the early adopters. More likely, downtown
will host a combination of the well established meter, and the battery to grid
system for those who commute to work in congested areas. Instead of just taking up extra space, your car will be performing community service while you work or run your errands.
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