Google hybrid car shares its juice for a price

Google -- known for its good intentions almost as much as its search engine -- has entered its nonprofit wing into the red-hot science of hybrid vehicles and energy conservation. The company's peace-sign-flashing, tie-dyed-baja-wearing dreamers are working on a number of new technologies including modded solar charged PHEVs with additional battery capacity, which are also wired for swapping energy back to the grid (possibly even earning the vehicle's owner some hard cash in the process). Apparently Google's experimental hybrid can be wirelessly monitored to determine its charge state, and power can be added or drained according to the needs of the power company (and, presumably, the vehicle's owner). No word on whether it has Gmail integration or the ability to let Sergey Brin take control and drive it into the ocean, should he wish to do so.

[Via Digg]

[BigD @ Jun 19th 2007 8:48PM]

I want one. This car could work long, hard hours for me. I'd get paid. Selling power to the grid...sticking it to the man...winning the whole time.

[Tom @ Jun 19th 2007 8:52PM]

because the energy comes out of thin air.

(or you neighbour's receptacle D: !!)

[BTT Drawingboard @ Jun 19th 2007 9:44PM]

The people who most need these cars live in apartments and don't have garages.

[HaX80r @ Jun 19th 2007 10:07PM]

Regardless of the advances many companies are making in the alternative energy storage and supply for cars, we will remain an oil economy for many years to came. Hopefully, a greater share of effort will be put into nuclear energy, which in turn can supply power for cars like these. Maybe someday we will have autonomous cars that are powered inductively (like that wireless light bulb at MIT) from a RF source under the road, and have battery backups. That would require a infrastructure redesign, but anything other than an oil economy would.

[ethana2 @ Jun 19th 2007 10:40PM]

This is a car I could live in with a laptop. Actually, you might want to add some kind of hydrogen unit for water to drink... Think of the possibilities! Beyond, well, being a nerd AND a hobo...

Never mind. I'm done. I just want to see oil use go away soon.

[michael @ Jun 19th 2007 11:28PM]

Wow, it's pretty amazing that Google's doing it. If anyone else feels like doing a good cause, Windows Live has a neat iniative to send a portion of it's ad revenues to an organization of your choice (from a list of 10 big organizations). All you have to do is IM someone, and each time, Microsoft gives some ad revenue away.

Even then, Microsoft promises to give $100,000 to each organization, plus the ad revenues recieved. If you're interested, visit their site : http://im.live.com/

I'm making a difference. Get it? I'm like IM? Pretty neat.

I thought I should share this, since it never got put up by Engadget.

[Zomic13 @ Jun 20th 2007 1:50AM]

This is pretty cool. I really look forward to seeing what Google.org accomplishes in the future.

Also, if you haven't seen this already check it out:
http://www.google.com/corporate/solarpanels/home
It is an hourly updated graph of the power that Google's new solar power array is producing.

[Sonic_13 @ Jun 20th 2007 1:51AM]

p.s. Google.org is actually a for-profit organization, not a non-profit group as stated in the article.

[brutha @ Jun 20th 2007 9:30AM]

MS should take them to DOJ if they dont include Microsoft branded seats in it.