The Transformer - Plug-in hybrids: A view from the grid
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are a step beyond traditional hybrid vehicles such as the emblematic Toyota Prius. Much of their fuel comes directly from the electric grid (rather than a gasoline engine), and thus their extensive employment has significant implications for the electric power system. This issue of The Transformer considers those implications...
Electricity-powered vehicles – particularly plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles (PHEVs) -- were in the news even before gas-pump prices shot
above $4 per gallon. Toyota had already announced its intention to put
a PHEV on the market in 2010, and GM, which just announced drastic
rollbacks in its production of gas-guzzling models, and Ford won’t be
far behind. Some small boutique customizers are selling PHEVs already.
PHEVs
are a step beyond traditional hybrid vehicles such as the emblematic
Toyota Prius. Much of their fuel comes directly from the electric grid
(rather than a gasoline engine), and thus their extensive employment
has significant implications for the electric power system.
This issue of The Transformer considers those implications. Read the entire edition online.