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March 30, 2008
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Environment
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Green looks good on everyone! Clean water, clean air, clean conscience.
  Post to Topic     Print   Hybrid cars and elctricity use
http://www.aarp.org/community/groups/displayTopic.bt?groupId=472&topicId=5026982
EmeraldQueen said:
on October 23, 2009 02:54 PM ET

I heard a talk show discussing that hybrid cars take extra-ordinary energy to re-charge.

Since owners of these cars are often congregated in certain areas, use will  cause havoc to the power grid.  Trying to tap into current structure would cause pocket electric shortages. Do not know if this is valid.

 

I did find this on the internet, that special adaption is not in the ready stage as yet.

Energy:

The setup and hardware for home recharging is not yet ready.

The clock is rapidly ticking toward the introduction of the first plug-in cars. “The industry will be building up until the last minute to meet national and international standards,” said Gartner. At this point, utilities and carmakers don’t know how they will keep track of vehicle charging, or how they will avoid having transformers blow when as few as two EV owners simultaneous charge up in the same neighborhood. But they know it’s a problem and they are working to address it. “It’s gong to be a real rat race to get everything in line.”
3 posts by 3 users
AndyC
Post #3
AndyC said:
on October 31, 2009 08:37 AM ET

Actually electric vehicles could be a plus to the electric power industry. Most power is consumed by day for offices, companies, air conditioning, washing, and other tasks so that the peak power load occurs by day. This means power plants cutback production at night to meet the lower demand and the distribution system (grid) is underutilized. Electric vehicles charging at night would help balance the overall load making generation and the grid more efficient.


do
Post #2
do replied to puck615's Post #1 :
on October 31, 2009 12:10 AM ET

That really sounds great, puck615.  

May I ask about expected life of the  A123 battery and approximate cost of original installation? 

Would appreciate an opportunity to read tips or guidance you might offer regarding transition to Hymotion.


puck615
Post #1
puck615 said:
on October 23, 2009 05:07 PM ET
edited on October 23, 2009 05:09 PM ET

I drive a Hymotion plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), my 2008 Prius.  I purchased the A123ystems.com advanced technology lithium-ion battery pack and had it installed by a CHIP (Certified Hymotion Installer Partner).  Lucky for me, the Toyota dealership where I purchased my Prius (Fitzgerald's; Rockville, MD) happens to be one of the 14 CHIP locations in North America (two are located in Canada) .  The A123 lithium battery is installed into the space tire well in the trunk. Each evening, I simply plug the 3-prong extension cord , one end into my car, the other into a household socket in my garage. It takes about 5 hours to fully recharge the lithium battery for a cost of about  50 cents. The fully-charged Hymotion battery powers my car for about 30-40 miles, after which the car reverts to its regular hybrid engine. I get 100 mpg for the first 30-40 miles I drive after a recharge. Any questions?