downtoearth-subscribe

Power disruption

Alexander Domijan Jr, a professor at the electrical engineering department of University of Florida, USA, has recently completed his two-year study that monitored the US automobile-giant General Motors' EV1, the first mass-produced, commercial electric car in the US, and its impact on Florida's power company Power & Light's power distribution system. Domijan discovered that charging the EV1 can seriously disrupt the electric supply from neighbourhood transformers to homes. If even as few as one in every 10 people owned these electric vehicles, the disruption would be strong enough to dim indoor lights, kick-off computers and have other many other noticeable effects, he said.

Related Content