The environmental benefit of electric cars is that they don’t
use petroleum, or in the case of hybrids they use significantly less petroleum.
As the demand for fully electric cars continues to rise, some people have
claimed that those cars will cause an unbearable strain on power grids across
the country.
The thing is, this claim is nonsense. New research shows that by 2017, electric cars
would account for about .14% of all US electricity use. It’s possible that they
might increase strain on the grid at certain times, like early evening when
people are charging their cars after work. But that’s the same time that people
are opening and closing refrigerators, using electric ranges, watching
television, and turning lights on all over the house.
If you think about it though, when people aren’t at home using
electricity, they’re at work or school doing the same thing. Working at a
computer for 8 hours a day uses electricity too.
So if you have, or intend to purchase, an electric car, put
some thought into when you’ll charge it. If you can charge it while you’re at
work, that might be best, since it will likely be an even smaller portion of
the electricity running the office lights, copiers, and so on. Of course, this
requires your employer to provide charging stations, which could be a benefit
worth bringing up, if enough of your co-workers drive electric cars.
If you have the charge it at home, there could be a legitimate
concern that it would increase your own electricity bill. Consider planning
your energy use to compensate. You don’t need to be in more than one room at a
time, so don’t leave lights on, or the TV running and so forth. If you can rely
on natural light. Consider charging your car while you sleep, so it’s not using
electricity at the same time as the TV, the stove, and so forth.
With a little thought, you can invest in an electric car to
help the environment without hurting your wallet.
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