With plug-in cars right around the corner, California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co is investing billions to develop the infrastructure to support them.
"Today, our electric grid cannot support massive quantities of plug-in hybrid vehicles very well, and there is much work we have to do to accomplish that," said Peter Darbee at a plug-in vehicles conference sponsored by the Brookings Institute and Google.org.
"But I think much of that work can be done over a five-year time frame in California and a 10-year time frame throughout the remainder of the United States. In short, we need to transform the electric grid in the United States."
Darbee discussed the importance of incentives and a "smart electric grid" that make it convenient for people to charge their cars during off-peak hours. He said PG&E is ready to roll out 10 million "smart meters" to customers to enable this process.
He sees vehicle to grid technology – where cars would also deliver power back to utilities – is 10-20 years away.
Meanwhile, Toyota announced it will introduce its first plug-in hybrid by 2010 in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. The hybrid will have next-generation lithium-ion batteries, allowing it run longer on electric-only with a smaller battery pack.
Toyota is making lithium-ion batteries in a joint venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (which makes Panasonic products). They plan to begin production in 2009 and move into full-scale production in 2010.
Toyota also announced it’s setting up a battery research department later this month to develop an innovative battery that can outperform lithium-ion batteries.
Toyota is also working on raising the mileage of all its models, and developing factories that more efficient, run on renewables like solar, and have cleaner manufacturing processes.
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