The price of oil nearly reached $100 a barrel recently, but a new University of Delaware prototype vehicle demonstrates how the cost of the black stuff could become a concern of the past.
A team of UD faculty has created a system that enables vehicles to not only run on electricity alone, but also to generate revenue by storing and providing electricity for utilities. The technology--known as V2G, for vehicle-to-grid--lets electricity flow from the carÂ’s battery to power lines and back.
...The Car: Manufactured by vehicle technology company AC Propulsion; formerly a Toyota Scion, which was chosen because it is light yet provides plenty of passenger room
Emissions: The car itself produces no carbon dioxide emissions
Acceleration: 0 to 60 miles per hour in 7 seconds
Top Speed: 95 miles per hour
Range: 120 highway, 150 city
Battery Life: 5 years or about 50,000 miles (being tested and verified)
Recharge: 2 hours using 240-volt plug or overnight using 110-volt plug
Maintenance: No oil changes; brakes last three times longer because the car has regenerative braking, a mechanism that slows the car and returns power to the battery
Not an expert, but sounds too good to be true |