Electric cars are coming

Electric cars are coming - are we ready?

Mar 8 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Cory Nealon Daily Press, Newport News, Va.

The Chevy Volt and other electric cars may be novelties now, but the companies that will supply their power think that will soon change.

One report predicts there will be 86,000 plug-in vehicles in Virginia by 2020. Most will be in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads as part of corporate and government fleets.

While the trend will help wean the nation off imported oil, it poses challenges for the state's beleaguered electricity grid. It also calls into question how environmentally friendly electric vehicles really are, and highlights the lack of infrastructure, particularly charging stations, to support them.

There were 91 electric vehicles and four charging stations in Virginia in 2010, according to Virginia Clean Cities, an environmental group that aims to reduce oil consumption in the transportation sector.

The number is expected the climb dramatically with the Volt arriving last November in Northern Virginia and roll-outs planned this year for the Nissan Leaf and an all-electric Ford Focus.

An additional 86,000 electric vehicles in Virginia would create a daily electricity demand of 250 megawatts, about what a small power plant produces, said Jim Norvelle, a Dominion Virginia Power spokesman.

Rather than building a power station, Dominion is proposing a voluntary program that offers discount rates to electric vehicle owners who charge their car batteries overnight, when excess power is available from large coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plants.

Customers could pay as little as 33 cents a night -- compared to 86 cents on the standard rate -- for enough power to travel 40 miles, Norvelle said. Penalties apply if customers charge their battery during peak demand hours.

"Electric vehicles are going to come and we are supportive of that," he said. "But we want to encourage people to charge their vehicles overnight."

If customers don't buy into the program, Dominion and other utilities may have to buy out-of-state power during peak demand. Virginia imports more electricity than any other state except California.

The program, which is under review by the Virginia State Corporation Commission, has the support of Clean Cities.

"The easiest thing would be if everyone biked or walked everywhere, but that's not going to happen," said Alleyn Harned, Clean Cities' director of business development. "If we can use some of that power generated at night, then it's a good thing in my book."

The U.S. Department of Energy states that electric vehicles on average emit less carbon dioxide, which most climate scientists link to global warming, than conventional or hybrid vehicles. Its figures are based on a blend of the nation's power sources.

The rule of thumb may not apply to regions that rely heavily on fossil fuels. Virginia derives most of its power from coal but the state's carbon dioxide emissions are tempered by its four commercial nuclear reactors, which don't emit the chemical compound.

Harned added that electric vehicles could help spur demand for renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, that will further reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Solar Services Inc. opened the region's first charging station in Virginia Beach in December. More are on the way, according to Harned, who predicts that Northern Virginia will be a forerunner.

The stations will enable people on the go to recharge their cars, he said. But Dominion expects most people will charge their cars at home using a common 120-volt outlet.

A full charge could take up to eight hours while an enhanced kit, using a 240-volt connection, would reduce the time in half, Norvelle said.