Better driving through electricity

Some day in the future, car owners will use their phones to talk to their cars as they quietly charge in the garage.

People will call ahead to set the thermostat to 75 degrees on a freezing day. The car will send a text message if someone forgot to plug it in. It will move, silent, as the driver shifts gears without a mechanical gearshift in an interior made from recycled water bottles.

The future is now.

Well, soon, anyway. In December, Nissan will begin delivering its fully electric LEAF, starting at $25,280 (including tax savings) and offering the possibility of those features. Chevrolet, Ford and other auto makers plan to roll out electric vehicles this year, with still others following in the next two to three years.

"Electric cars are coming if we're ready or not," said Al Lara, a spokesman for Northeast Utilities, a member of a group of utility companies called the Regional Electric Vehicle Initiative seeking to prepare the market and infrastructure for the transition. "It's all part of creating a sustainable solution for ourselves."

REVI and the Governor's Electric Vehicles Infrastructure Council hosted a forum at the Legislative Office Building Friday to discuss the arrival of the new vehicles in the state, what people can expect and what might need to be done to support them.

"It's the future," said Gov. M. Jodi Rell after test driving a Toyota plug-in hybrid. "If you plan for the future, you'll already be there."

Speakers at the forum stressed that much of the infrastructure already exists. According to Megan Pomeroy of United Illuminating, about 80% of electric vehicle owners will charge them at home overnight, more than 60% of home garages have a 120-volt plug within 25 feet, and about 85% of homes have some 240-volt service because of central air conditioning or an electric clothes dryer.

Vehicles using 120-volt outlets can fully charge a lithium ion battery in about eight hours. A 240-volt outlet can cut charging time to six or three hours. The Nissan LEAF will offer both options, plus a way to charge with a direct current outlet reaching 80% of a battery's capacity in about 26 minutes.

The Chevrolet Volt, an electric car launching in November with a range-extending gas engine, can travel 40 miles (64 km) on its battery under ideal conditions. The LEAF and the BMW ActiveE, due next year, can cruise 100 miles (160 km) on a full charge.

Source: Republican American, by Rick Harrison, May 22nd, 2010