Plug-in Hybrids might get a push
Posted By RichC on April 30, 2006
Congress this past week included 1.8 billion dollars of funding that would encourage more plug-in hybrid vehicles. We’ve discussed this as an excellent solution for those using a vehicle for daily commutes that could be accomplished with a nightly ‘garage charge’ and still be able to function once that charge is depleted.
Senate Republicans and electric utilities are the ones currently pushing for the measure in congress, one that could jump-start research, development and market awareness of “plug-in hybrids.”
The Wall Street Journal reported some time ago that “DaimlerChrysler has already converted a European delivery van called the Sprinter into a plug-in and plans to allow a variety of U.S. businesses to test 40 of the vehicles over the next two years.”
The backers of this, Electric Power Research Institute being one of the primary, would conduct research with battery manufacturers to speed development and production of plug-ins.
Although the bill is choked with pet projects relating to energy, this component might be a piece of the energy policy that our future could really use. (ie. Electric energy from power companies is at an excess at night and goes wasted if not used)
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