Skip to Content
Uncategorized

Electric Cars: What Happens When the Power’s Out?

When the power fails, would you want an electric car in your garage?
January 18, 2007

With power outages across the country leaving people without heat in the middle of ice storms, this may seem like a good time to reevaluate the wisdom of switching to electric cars.

After all, not being able to recharge your batteries would leave you not only cold, but also without the means to drive to a shelter. A trusty internal combustion engine in the garage could be a life saver.

On the other hand, people stranded without power–and blocked by snowdrifts or icy roads–might just wish they had a few kilowatt hours of power sitting in their garage instead. AC Propulsion is a small California-based company that’s converting Scion xBs into lithium-ion-powered electric cars. And all their systems can be plugged into the house–not just to charge, but also to deliver electricity back to the grid. With such a system, as well as a switch to disconnect the house from the grid, it would be possible to run lights and even electric heaters off energy in the car. That’s assuming the owner had the forethought to keep the batteries topped off as the storm approached.

Plug-in hybrids would be even better. They could also be made to deliver power back to the house, or even be made to just plug into a portable heater. And they’ve got a gas engine on board that will recharge the batteries–or allow an escape if the roads are clear.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build

“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”

ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it

The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.

Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives

The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.

Learning to code isn’t enough

Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.