Expect to see more about this – shifting Hybrids over to plug-in power. The general idea is that cars currently have a single point of failure: Gasoline supply.
If we can make Hybrids into plug-ins and they can recharge via the power grid, not relying on the single-source, decreasing supply of dead dinos, it’s a good thing.
Why is the grid better? Power can come from multiple sources. Yes, coal and other fossil fuels supply 70% of the power in the grid, but 30%… 30%! comes from air, water, nuclear and thermo. That’s a pretty good start.
It’s all about choices. If our cars rely on plug-in power for primary energy, and cary a tank of brontosaurus for backup, now we have choices.
Also, we can rely on EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE to get there. No new expensive hydrogen or vegetable oil filling stations.
Think about how much more stable our economy and world might be if we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Think about what happens to our energy concerns if we shift over to a transportation energy source that is adaptable to automatically accept new technologies (fission?) and thrive on current infrastructure.
It’s a truly viable solution.
Illustration and design by Kurt Aspland