City of Newark, Delaware implements Vehicle-to-Grid trials
By Ross Miller 
posted January 21st 2009 5:39PM
posted January 21st 2009 5:39PM
[Via PhysOrg]
posted January 21st 2009 5:39PM
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So that means if I'm unlucky the car's battery will be discharged when I have to drive my parents to the airport? No thanks.
USING CARS TO POWER HOUSES?
Is this Dawn of the Dead?
I'd love to try and do this while sitting in my drawers playing Xbox360 on my HDTV. I wonder how long that car could support me?
I just don't see the point. They took the biggest flaw of battery powered vehicles - long charge times - and made it even worse by discharging the vehicle whenever they feel like it.
So basically, you change your car through the grid, and then sell the power back to the energy company when its worth more, and can drive on this potential source of income in the meantime? I'm not really sure how much money one can save here, and i'm not sure how efficient this is, but its an interesting idea.
Just wait for everyone to put huge batteries in their cars in order to sell the electric company's electricity back to them at higher prices. This reminds me of enron, but on a much smaller (and more positive) scale.
Well, they're big batteries on wheels. Why not. Is there a slight irony to the whole thing though.
WOW, that car is horrible!
Why don't Americans drive sensible cars like the rest of the world rather than these gas guzline heaps of junk?
Europe and Asia have been driving fuel efficient cars for years yet Americans continue to drive these stupidly big, gas guzling cars for no apparent reason.
Please note, i'm not talking about these new electric cars, more so of the current offerings on the general US Marketplace.
Americans drive big cars because we live in a big country. We have long wide freeways and well laid out young cities and suburbs that were designed for large cars. Our people are also far more overweight and need larger cars to fit into.
Also, everyone else drives large cars so it becomes less safe to drive small cars despite the advances that have been made in crumple zones and the like. There is only so much you can do when you collide with a multi-ton vehicle at highway speeds.
Further, our gas prices are continuously low so it is perfectly economical to drive our behemoths.
Maybe those things aren't all worth it and they are ruining the environment and whatever else you want to hate Americans for, but they're direct answers to your off topic and inflammatory questions.
It is probably a subconscious response to the incessant mewling of amateur environmentalists that is seriously hard to avoid these days. I love this planet; the idea that we are hurting it is both terrifying and appalling, and we should do everything in our power to stop.
However, the more guilty I am told I should feel for not cycling to work whilst eating a wholegrain tofu sandwich, the more I feel like going polar bear hunting in a fleet of Humvees.
(For the record, I am British, drive a sensible 1.4l car and don't like to tell people what they can and can't do with their lives.)
People are used to utility. We go out to eat lunch and carpool with 4-5 people sometimes. I can't take them all in my MX5, but someone with an SUV can fit them all. Also, when you take the 3 kids to school or the game after, you'll need to carry all their equipment and stuff. On top of that, when you go to the store to buy a new TV, chair, table, etc... why pay for delivery when you can just load it into the back and bring it home on the cheap.
It's about utility and flexibility. It's also very uncomfortable to sit in a tiny car for hours during a commute.
The same reason that you Europeans insist on making gigantic 7 series, S500, A8L sized vehicles with V12's in them. Theres only 1 american company that puts a V10 in a car and thats 1 model. Europeans are the ones putting huge ass motors into huge ass cars. Some of us have multiple kids, and have to drive hours to see family, etc. I don't want to drive in a Polo sized vehicle with 3 kids, a wife, and all the luggage for 2 nights @ grandmas house over thanksgiving. This is why we have crossover and suv's.
Also, my 4.2L 300hp inline 6 TrailBlazer gets 24mpg on the highway, and can tow my VW race cars, power through the snow since its a real body on frame 4WD vehicle with a transfer case, haul the engines I need to haul FOR my race cars, and comfortably seat 5 adults.
That's just a modified Toyota Scion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_Propulsion_eBox
It's a $55,000 conversion in addition to the vehicle cost.
Same reason environmentalists think that the Prius is the most environmentally friendly car in the world. The right answer is to ween off using gasoline or diesel, i know you euros like your diesels. It's not what the car looks like it's how efficient it can be. The Scion XB has great storage ability for a matter of fact. Small cars simply can't handle a lot of load.
Funny, as scion xB's are built on a compact chassis, and have small, efficient engines that give it roughly 35mpg
the angling makes it look like a hummer though.
That's a Scion xB. That car was ugly long before someone had the bright idea to shove some electricity into it.
That car is nowhere near as big as it looks in the picture. It's about the same size as a Toyota Corrola, barring the slight increase in height and faux-stylish boxiness.
The car certainly looks designed to not need keys, for who would steal it?
I'm not sure the "clunker" assessment is viable on a $40-100,000 electrically driven vehicle...
I would rather go without electricity than drive that shoebox. Why can't somebody design an electric car that doesn't look like a retarded 5 year old's drawing? I can understand here in Europe, where our crappy little cars are too small to fit enough batteries, but you Americans should get your act together and build some electric SUVs. I want one.
Agreed, the car looks terrible. The only good looking electric car i have seen to date is the Tesla Roadster.
I'm all for Hydrogen Cars, they are the way forward as shown with the Honda FCX Clarity.
It's interesting that there are so many negative comments on the Scion XB. I've always hated the look and it truly looked like a car made for a foreign country to me (like it was designed for London or Tokyo.) I may be wrong and I'm too lazy to look it up right now, but I think Scion is Toyota. I just figured these were available outside The States as well.
Problem with the Tesla Roadster is that it is just a gutted Lotus. And costs £1038939863.
I've seen decent electric cars other than the tesla, but only as concept models
Ah Newark, Delaware. I was born and raised there 23 years. It's not surprising a liberal school like UofD would be jumping on the "Green" bandwagon.
And to all my ex-girlfriends still living there: Go suck it!
I'm glad to say I'm a conservative that made it through that institution.
...could you make the car "boxy"? So it looks and drives like it's made out of bricks. And can you position the plug somewhere where there will be a lot of dead bugs & flies? You can! Great!
hehe, its true!
There's not so much mosquitoes in japan though... since 2 years im here we never washed the car and its quite clean.
Do I -always- get to decide how much battery is reserved for that unexpected trip I need to take? Will the car SMS me to say, "dude come unplug me if you expect to drive anywhere any time soon?"
These things are meant to be partnered with renewable energies that are not always reliable, like solar and wind energy. When it gets cloudy or the wind slows, these cars could serve as backup power for the grid.
I'm more interested in using this for just my house when the power goes out, which happens more than you might think living out in the country. Would be nice to have a few hours of electricity without a generator.
I'm told the power goes out all the time in any area of california (and the rest of the US), not just rural.
That car is possibly the worst choice for a plug-in. I would think a more aerodynamic vehicle would be much more efficient; boxes aren't very aerodynamic.
its a city car... we see lots of those boxy cars here in Japan. Cheap, lots of place inside, easy to park... not a bad choice for young family. In US of course it would be a sin. On the other hand, there is tons of cars here you will never see out of Japan and some of them are really really cool... like those 1 place mini cars... incredible!
that kind of stuff; http://hight3ch.com/post/tango-car-one-seater-half-of-a-smart/ but not that one...
Yeah we have 'cars' like that too, they are meant for the disabled elderly.
Makes sense:
Powering [some of] your house during a blackout. Letting your car charge when the electric company says is the best time (lowest load).
WTF:
Cycling your expensive EV batteries just to provide some power to the grid? Saving a few bucks just to wear out your $20,000 battery pack extra early? Voiding your EV battery warranty? Giving your employer/company free electricity during the day so that your battery is drained when it comes time to drive home? Hauling around thousands of pounds of extra battery pack for some extra grid power when you could just install [heavier/cheaper] batteries directly into the building?
Wow I live in Newark DE and drive a Scion XB.
You must really hate newark
BTW the XB is not a gas guzzler it gets like 30 miles to the gallon or more.
It's got a really tiny engine though.
But I love it.
Some people hate it.
I live in Newark!
Glad to see my hometown being featured!