Oct 23 - Detroit Free Press



The nation's electric utility industry says it is committed to helping electric vehicles become a reality.

Tony Earley, chairman of both DTE Energy and the Edison Electric Institute, said the utility industry would work with automakers and governments to develop the infrastructure to power electric vehicles.

Since electric cars are recharged by being plugged into electrical outlets, both industries must work together to overcome challenges they've never faced before.

"We need to have a national infrastructure so as you drive across the country, you are comfortable that your vehicle will be supported," Earley said Wednesday, following a speech at a three-day electric vehicle conference in Detroit called the Business of Plugging In.

"A lot of utilities have been doing work in this area," he said, "but now we have the whole industry committed to a nationwide effort."

Earley said the Edison Electric Institute, an association that represents shareholder-owned utility companies, is committed to:

- Ensuring the electric grid is capable of handling the energy load it takes to recharge electric cars.

- Developing educational outreach and customer support programs about electric cars.

- Working with federal, state and local governments to encourage the adoption of plug-in vehicles.

Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said the nation should be able to overcome the challenges that stand in the way of enabling electric cars to take off.

Ford said consumers will want the vehicles if the price is right and if utilities, automakers and governments develop the necessary recharging infrastructure.

"We have to make it easy for them," Ford said.

Right now, the cost of producing the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles adds about $10,000 to the cost of a car, said University of Michigan professor Richard Curtin. If that extra cost is built into the vehicle's price, that could dissuade consumers from purchasing an electric model.

"I can tell you there is widespread interest in plug-ins, as well as widespread resistance to the cost," Curtin said.

Henrik Fisker, CEO of Irvine, Calif.-based Fisker Automotive, said his company has received 1,500 orders for its $87,000 Fisker Karma, a luxury plug-in electric vehicle that the company plans to introduce next year.

"We are trying to create vehicles where the consumer does not feel they are paying a premium for this technology," Fisker said.

(c) 2009, Detroit Free Press.

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