Twenty years from now, when you're driving your fuel cell vehicle, you may be able to earn money by plugging it into your city's electrical grid when you're not driving. That's the promise of V2G technology, or vehicle-to-grid.
V2G technology takes advantage of the fact that gas/electric hybrid cars -- and in the future, fuel cell hybrid vehicles -- are power generation stations on wheels, and that power generation capability sits idle more than 90% of the time. By plugging vehicles back into the grid, and transferring power from the vehicles' onboard battery into the city's electrical grid, we could revolutionize both the utility of vehicles for personal transportation and the ability for cities to meet peak electrical demand without investing in expensive power stations.
Essentially, the promise of V2G is that of a distributed power generation network that can be tapped to supplement the already-existing power generation capability of any electrical grid. All of this may sound far-fetched, but in fact it's coming to fruition right now. There are V2G fuel cell buses being used in Toronto, Daimler-Chrysler is working on a pickup truck with V2G capability, a city in Florida is reported to be purchasing 50 city buses that are V2G capable, and a company called AC Propulsion plans to make 1000 V2G electric vehicles starting next year.
It's a new idea, and one that will take a lot of education and momentum to catch on. For one thing, there's no place to plug your vehicle into the power grid today, and utility companies will naturally be quite wary of opening up their grid to power transmission from the public. But it also holds the promise to take advantage of the investment in power generation technology found in hybrid vehicles, while reducing the cost to run a city-wide power network generation and distribution system. This is great technology that's just waiting for social acceptance.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, August 03, 2004
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