Utilities Scramble to Meet Power Needs of Electric Cars

A power input on Renault's electric car.

Dave Kaufmann likes people yelling at him as he drives through LaCañada, California, the wealthy suburb where he lives north of LosAngeles. What they're shouting about is his all-battery-poweredelectric vehicle, one of up to 30,000 estimated to hit the streets ofSouthern California in the next 36 months, the biggest expected e-carsurge in the country.

"They all want to know, 'What's that? Where can I get one?'" saysKaufmann, a home contractor and self-taught electric vehicle, or EV,enthusiast.

By some accounts, the next 10 years will see as many as 1.6 millionelectric or plug-in hybrid vehicles zipping around the state, in whatis shaping up to be the nation's e-car proving ground. But in the 1990sa similar optimism hit here too, only to fizzle as gas prices plummetedand gas guzzling SUVs took over the auto market with a vengeance. (See the history of the electric car.)

That was then; this is now. Strong government incentives andregulations, car and battery-maker innovations, along with the public'sgenuine concern for global warming, are all contributing to the EVenthusiasm. But utilities are working feverishly to put infrastructurestandards in place; the prospect managing rapid EV growth have utilityexecutives both amped up with opportunity and queasy about unplannedsnafus.

"We've had a run at this before, but now there have been importantadvances on the technology side," says Theodore Craver, Jr., chiefexecutive officer of Southern California Edison.

SoCal Edison provides electricity to 13 million people and is thebiggest power player behind the new EV push. Craver foresees at least30,000 EVs in his region by the end of 2012. The state's Air ResourcesBoard is less optimistic, quoting estimates between 7,500 and 25,000EVs on the state's roads by 2014. Most are brand names you've neverheard of, at least not yet, like Zenn, Zap, Helion and Wheego. (See the best cars from the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.)

On its own, SoCal Edison maintains the largest EV fleet in thecountry, with some 300 electric vehicles, mostly Toyota RAV4s, andtrucks. It also operates the Electric Vehicle Technical Center inPomona, Calif., a facility advanced enough to have automakers knocking.Ford's plug-in hybrid Escape SUVs have been tested there, and others,such as Mitsubishi's iMiEV subcompact, and Daimler's plug-in hybridvan, are also under review. General Motors' much anticipated plug-inhybrid, the Chevy Volt, has been put through its paces in Pomona.

"We know EVs and we know the consumer will be annoyed if theexperience isn't a good one," says Craver. "A bad buying and userexperience could hurt EV market growth; we have to make the experiencepositive."

One part of SoCal Ed's ramp-up involves the installation of 5.3million SmartConnect meters, or "smart meters," in every homethroughout its 50,000 sq. mi. service region, from the Pacific Ocean tothe San Bernardino Mountains to the east, and into parts of OrangeCounty. Total installation is expected to be completed by 2012 at acost of $1.9 billion. But much more will be needed to handle thewidespread adoption of EVs, the utility says.

While EV owners can charge the cars by plugging them into a regular110-volt outlet, such a "slow charge" can take eight hours and jack upwill your monthly electric bill the equivalent of two kilowatts permonth. Most e-car owners will eventually want to plug in their faster,highway-approved EVs into new rapid-charging, 220-volt garage chargers.But that requires another step: finding a certified electrician andseveral thousand more dollars to install the 220-volt add-on feature tothe home or garage.

"Plug-in vehicles draw the equivalent of another house; the systemcan handle one per circuit, but two or three chargers on the samecircuit could cause problems," he says. "Too much of a load could endup causing neighborhood outages."

But Southern California Edison and other utilities, like San DiegoGas & Electric, are hoping early adopter enthusiasm and newinfrastructure upgrades in hot e-car zip codes, like Santa Monica andNewport Beach, will overcome these early market glitches.

At current rates the electric fuel usage for e-cars is estimated tobe 50% cheaper than gasoline, or about 4 cents a mile. This comes withthe added benefit of low maintenance costs for EVs and, of course, zeroemissions. In the U.S., 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come fromtransportation. And never underestimate the force of status. Along witha $7,500 federal tax credit, being the first on the block with aroad-worthy EV is expected to be the market's primary driver in theyears ahead.

Last summer, when gasoline was above $4.50 at gallon, Kaufmann waslaughing at his neighbors' wallet-withering $100 fuel bills for theirSUVs, while he toddled about in his sporty Zenn, a low-speedneighborhood electric vehicle, or NEV, for next to nothing. Though NEVscan't legally go over 25 mph in a 35 mph zone, newer high-speed sedans,like the ones Nissan and Tesla will be launching, are highway approved,crash-tested, and able to hit 80 mph in seconds flat.

"I was driving down the street doing nothing but saving money andlaughing," he said. Of course, for his contracting work, Kaufmann hasanother vehicle, a Ford Explorer. He needs the SUV to pull trailers, hesays.

But in his free time, Kaufmann spreads the EV word at EnvironmentalMotors in nearby Glendale, one of a handful of EV dealers in theregion. He doesn't worry about the cost of charging up at home either.The Zenn has an on-board charger and plugs into his standard 110-voltsocket, which Kaufmann compares it to plugging in a cell phone. Othersclaim it draws more like a dehumidifier. Still, says Kaufman: "I don'teven notice it on my electric bill."