Eco Factor: Zero-emission vehicle powered by electricity.
US researchers have unveiled a new electric car that instead of guzzling up the owner’s money in gasoline and maintenance generates money by serving the electric grid. The converted Toyota Scion xB was showcased at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego, California.
The vehicle is the first that’s ever been paid to participate in the grid. The proof-of-concept vehicle was a way to introduce the “Vehicle-to-Grid” concept as it begins to gain momentum in the United States. The project is linked with hybrid cars that use electricity and gas to store energy in onboard batteries, which is then fed back into the grid.
The car is connected via an Internet-over-powerline connection that sends a signal from inside the car’s computer to a server. The server then creates an interface between the car and the grid which is constantly trying to keep electricity output at a constant level. Whenever the grid needs more power it draws it from the millions of vehicles plugged into sockets in home sockets, instead of drawing it from coal-fired power plants.
Via: AFP
