Utilities Suggest Huge Electric Vehicle Orders

Utilities are among the groups now considering

mass orders of electric vehicles from the U.S.

automobile manufacturing sector, to help the

auto companies make the biggest

manufacturing realignment since since WWII.

The exploratory discussions are being conducted at top

levels and among firms like PG&E who see plug in hybrid

and all electric vehicles as a solution to uneven grid loads.

Utilities have invested a great deal of research using the

vehicle to grid (V2G) capabilities of plugged in electric

vehicles to stabilize the grid.
The idea being considered would involve joining together

to put in a substantial order to put weight behind

development of Plug In Hybrids (PHEVs) and electric

vehicles (EVs). The idea is that large fleet orders would

provide the certain market car makers need to make

the initial move away from fossil fueled vehicles.
With their buying power (they could order 50,000

electric vehicles for their fleets) utilities could provide

a solid beginning to switching Detroit to entirely new

vehicle markets.
Talks with automakers have occurred individually

and through the electric industry’s primary trade

organization, the Edison Electric Institute, and include

Xcel, Progress Energy, PG&E, Edison International and

Wisconsin Energy Corp.Dick Kelly, chief executive of

Xcel Energy in Minneapolis said, “If we get enough of

us together, we could put in a very large order and

maybe a big down payment.”Utilities gain less in

increased electricity sales than in grid stabilization;

evening out the load with the prospect of being able

to swap electrons back and forth between a fleet of

vehicles and the grid. PHEVs draw only about 1.4–2

kW of power while charging; only about what a

dishwasher draws.The benefits for the nation are huge.

Plug-In Hybrids leave their Hybrid counterparts in the

dust, in mileage.For example, where the Ford Escape

Hybrid gets mileage in the 20’s or 30’s, a Plug In Escape

would get over 80 MPG. It has now completed a year of

successful testing with Southern California Edison.

The many aftermarket Prius conversions boast over

100 MPG as Plug In Hybrids compared with about

50 MPG as a first-gen Hybrid. Aftermarket Ford truck

conversions similarly get about twice the mileage of

their non plugged in hybrids.And the Chevy Volt

Extended-Range EV is designed from the ground up

as an EV that only gets a boost for long-distance from gas.

It would get also get over 100 MPG in cross-country

driving, and not need gasoline for trips under 40 miles

a day.Further development to get these to market are

endangered by the auto meltdown. In fact, to some

extent, we have stopped buying new vehicles precisely

because we are waiting for the switch to the post gasoline

era vehicles.So, Mark Duvall, a researcher at the EPRI

suggests that the best help for automakers would be a

multiyear order placed in one group from utilities fleets.

That’s because early models may be money losers, so

multiyear orders would help automakers achieve

profitable production. He estimates fuel savings,

for utilities, at $10,000 to $15,000 per car.

This kind of certain ongoing manufacturing order

is a very safe way to grow small businesses from

scratch, and could even help restabilize the large

automanufacturers in the same way now that their

future is under threat.“I would do it,” says Gale

Klappa, CEO of Wisconsin Energy, adding that his

utility has about 3,000 vehicles in its fleet and

replaces 20% each year. Bill Johnson, chief executive

of Progress Energy Inc. said, “Our industry is

nterested in reducing carbon-dioxide emissions,

and it seems like a good idea for auto makers and

us to pull together,”He added that the idea is in a

formative stage and is “gaining momentum.”