With one of the biggest challenges of mass-adoption of plug-in vehicles being the possibility of overloaded power grids, many utilitily companies feel that they already have the solution: Install upgraded transformers in areas where the demand for electric vehicles is the highest, and charge consumers different rates according to peak hours of demand.
Pacific Gas & Electric is already implementing a tiered system, charging electric car owners 5 cents per kilowatt hour between midnight and 7 a.m., and 30 cents per kilowatt hour between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Furthermore, there is continued talk about sending electricity back into the grid when an electric vehicle is not in use. For more insight into the infrastructure concerns of power companies, read our previous story.
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