U.S. Power Grid Could Fuel Up to 180 Million Electric Cars, DOE Study Says

Washington DC December 11, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reports that the nation's existing electric power grid could fuel as many as 180 million plug-in hybrids, according to a study to be released today by the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The report, according to The Wall Street Journal, estimates that plug-ins, made in volume, would cost between $6,000 and $10,000 more than existing vehicles – largely due to the cost of carrying larger battery packs.

But because electricity is cheaper than gasoline, car buyers would recover the additional cost over five to eight years, depending on the price of gasoline.

The study estimates that if 84 percent of the nation's 220 million vehicles relied primarily on electricity, emissions of carbon dioxide thought to be accelerating climate change would be cut by as much as 5 percent.