Last week brought the introduction of both a House and a Senate bill destined to achieve mass-deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in the US. The bills, known as the Electric (Drive) Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010, incorporate aspects of the ideas presented in the Electrification Coalition’s Electrification Roadmap.
Would you nominate your city to be part of the electric vehicle trial?
As a part of the legislation, a competition would be run to determine several participant communities throughout the US. Interested metropolitan areas would need to submit a bid detailing all aspects of a roll-out plan for EVs in their area; those best prepared to deploy EVs, and the infrastructure required to fuel them, will be awarded grant money to make the plan a reality.
Also as a part of the legislation, additional incentives will be made available for vehicle purchasers and producers of electric vehicles and/or their components and the selected pilot communities will be awarded grants to help build required infrastructure and support EV deployment.
The ultimate goal is that once these pilot communities demonstrate the potential for EVs and begin to set standard practices, wider-scale adoption will occur throughout the nation, further reducing oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions.
Good day
It is this readers informed opinion that what is needed to further the electric car in North America is a battery swap system. Imagine if you will, an electric car running on not one massive battery, but a multiple smaller batteries. The car can of course be plugged in to charge the batteries in the event of a long stay at a destination. If on a long trip once the batteries are near depletion they can be swapped at a service station. Once the batteries are swapped for fully charged one the happy motorist can be on their way.
The depleted batteries could perhaps be charged during off peak hours… Hopefully by a renewable energy source of course. Then back on the shelf for the next motorist on a long journey.
It is this readers informed opinion that the answers to our ecological challenges do not lay in some fantastic new undiscovered technologies. The answers lay in more sensible and practical use of existing resources and technologies.
Paul Purcell