Electric cars use surplus power

Some letter writers worried about the environmental impact of electric cars apparently do not understand that a coal-fired power plant runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week whether or not the power generated can be used. They are not made to readily turn on and off.

A city’s daily power consumption is uneven. Much more power is used during the day than in the middle of the night. The coal-fired plants that cover most of the day’s base load keep making power during that nightly lull in demand.

If, however, we had a fleet of electric cars, they could be charged up at night, using this surplus power. No new plants would have to be built. The cars could also use the existing power grid up to and including the power socket now in your garage. That is what makes the electric car such an efficient option.

Thomas Stroud
Overland Park

Comments

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

The question is what are the tires going to be made of? Rubber is a fossil based consumer product and we can't have that now can we?

[Engineer]

I've yet to see figures on the amount of power required to 'recharge' a typical "plug in" for say 40 miles. If we had that figure then we would be able to form an opinion as to the demand and the consequences to the power grid. On the other hand there is any number of things that can be used to power automobiles. In Italy after the shooting stopped the civilians were powering cars by the gas generated from wood charcoal.

[ecofreak]

We know that, Mr. Stroud. But an electric car that only goes 40 miles before requiring a recharge is NOT an efficient option at this point.

Drill!

[Rogue]

Just drill baby, just drill.

[jack]

Hit "post" once, get two posts. Just another day in the land of the incompetant.

[jack]

Electric cars will have their place. CNG fueld cars will have their place. All kinds of things will have their place in a new world that uses little to no fossil fuels.

We just need to get on with developping the technologies and infrastructures. Sure hope the "can't do" crowd doesn't try to stop the future any longer.

[jack]

Electric cars will have their place. CNG fueld cars will have their place. All kinds of things will have their place in a new world that uses little to no fossil fuels.

We just need to get on with developping the technologies and infrastructures. Sure hope the "can't do" crowd doesn't try to stop the future any longer.

[Dewey]

During his testimony before the Senate the other day, Boone Pickens explained that GM now makes & sells 19 vehicles that use compressed natural gas (CNG) for fuel. However, not one of these vehicles is available in the USA. They used to sell them here, but quit due to demand. Only Honda makes a CNG-fueled vehicle for the US and yes, it's also made in the US. And the cost of CNG now is around $1.65 per gallon equivalent.