A recent study regarding electric vehicles appears to mitigate concerns that electric vehicles could threaten the reliability of our electrical grid.
The study’s author, Matteo Muratori, of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, projected that even a ten-fold increase in the number of plug-in cars would not drastically affect the grid. There are only 700,000 electric vehicles in use in the U.S. today, and experts say we won’t see 7 million EVs on the road until at least 2025.
Even so, it would behoove us to begin planning now for higher electricity demands, Muratori believes.
One issue that needs to be addressed is how to assure that drivers of alternative fuel vehicles pay their fair share for building and maintaining highways. The current system of taxing fuel consumption does not do the job, which is why there is increasing discussion about implementing a user fee based on mileage.
For an article about the electric vehicle study, please click on the news link below.
Transportation Issue Update
- A new study sheds light on electric vehicles and their impact on the electric power grid.
- Elected officials and businesses want to expand the passenger rail service to accommodate people commuting to Pittsburgh from surrounding towns.
- Following in the footsteps of three major cities, New York again is considering congestion pricing to remedy gridlock.
- Municipalities in southwest Pennsylvania are voicing concerns over Trump’s proposed infrastructure plan and the proposed decrease in matching federal funds.
- More than half of Pennsylvania’s municipalities rely on State Police, and Governor Wolf’s $25 per capita fee is back on the table.
- The Trump administration says it wants to withdraw federal funding to repair the Hudson River rail tunnels.
- A project that will connect the PA Turnpike and I-95 is slated to be completed by early fall 2018.
- The deepening of PhilaPort is expected to lead to another cargo handling record this year.