Altcars are plug-in vehicles. They use their battery as much as possible, unlike a typical hybrid, which can use both gas and electric. “Altcars” like the Volt, have a small gas generator onboard to generate more electricity when the battery is used up. Others are 100% electric.
BGE is not actually building the car, but supplying the power needed to run electric vehicles (EV). BGE will be an electricity provider for altcars, just as Exxon provides gasoline for cars today. As John Murach, director of business planning and corporate performance for BGE said, “BGE won’t be in the market of selling cars; we’re in the market of providing electricity to the EV car owner.”
As charging stations are installed in their customers’ homes and in public places, BGE will adjust their systems to handle the amount of electricity needed to charge altcars. BGE is also providing information about owning and maintaining an EV online at bge.com. They are supporting the change to EVs because they realize that ‘going green’ is good for the consumer and the environment. Also, electric cars are expected to be the “coming trend” of transportation in the United States. Several car companies, including Chevy and Toyota, have already partnered with utilities like BGE because they realize this too.
These cars are designed for everyday use, and can easily support an average person’s lifestyle; they even scored a five-star safety rating. As a matter of fact, BGE even has a few altcars as transportation vehicles for their fleet to use. The electric battery can run for 40 miles on a single charge, and can last for a minimum of 10 years or 100,000 miles. The charge time for an empty battery is 10 hours with the standard charger, and four to five hours for the heavy-duty, express charger. Also, as many people know, gas is becoming quite expensive, but electricity is about $1.50-1.75 per charge, less than half of what gas costs, resulting in considerable savings for consumers. The price for electricity is also far more stable than that of gas, which means less worrying about prices at the pump.
The Chevy Volt, which is one of the first all-electric vehicles, starts at about $31,000 after government incentives. It has a conventional interior, with a white, well-organized, touch screen dashboard and gray seats. It has no key ignition, so to start the vehicle you hold the key near the power button. The Volt is a compact and aerodynamic car and is green in more ways than one. The more streamlined the car, the less air drag the car experiences while moving, increasing the efficiency. The manufacturing design uses less plastic too, which helps make the car lighter and easier to assemble. It may be small, but it has a lot to offer. On the car screen, you can see the efficiency of your driving and how far you have traveled on pure electricity. Another feature is a built in GPS, which can show you where you are going and in the future it will be able to show you the nearest charging stations. The car has no noisy gas motor, which means fewer oil changes and a much quieter ride. These EVs barely make a sound.
The future is looking bright for EVs. As Murach said, “The President has asked for a million electric vehicles by 2015.” ‘Going green’ doesn’t stop in your home either; many companies are looking into making public transportation and other vehicles green as well.
For tips and guides about saving energy, including news on plug-in vehicles, visit www.bge.com/waystosave/
Severna Park Middle School 8th graders Maeve Murphy and Jack Roscoe interviewed BGE Electrical Engineer John Murach and previewed two cars in BGE’s electric vehicle fleet to research and write this article. Maeve loves to run and play soccer. Jack is an aspiring athlete and author.
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