Plenty Of Juice For Plug-In Cars

Off-peak, idle capacity at existing electric utilities could provide enough power to fuel 84% of the U.S.'s 220 million cars if all were shifted to hybrid plug-in electric vehicles, says a new report by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Interest has grown in hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles fueled in part by electricity drawn from the power grid. Just last month, GM announced plans to build a plug-in electric vehicle. Critics charge, however, that plug-ins will simply shift pollution from the tailpipe to the utility smokestack. The PNNL study assumes that drivers would charge their vehicles overnight, when demand for electricity is low. While the report found a surplus of idle, off-peak electricity and distribution capacity in the most of the U.S., this was not always true in the West and Pacific Northwest. However, enough electricity could be provided nationally to accommodate 84% of U.S. cars for the average commute of about 33 miles a day, the report says. According to PNNL, off-peak electricity is an untapped national asset that could reduce dependence on foreign oil through greater use of electric cars.