previewed a Toyota Prius hybrid that was converted into a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid. The car was also on display at GreyStone’s Annual Meeting in October. The technology was made possible through a two-year research project by the EMCs of Georgia, including GreyStone Power, and spearheaded by Jackson EMC and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Cooperative Research Network.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) use both electricity and gasoline to achieve more than 100 mpg around town. The study will provide data on how PHEVs perform in the real world, along with unbiased answers to questions about the impact of the technology if used on a larger scale.
Researchers predict that consumers could see PHEVs in showrooms within three to five years and can expect benefits like saving energy by using a combination of electricity and gasoline, protecting the environment by burning less gas, saving money because motorists fill their tanks less often and because running a car on electricity is cheaper than gasoline, saving trips to the gas pump and allowing motorists to recharge the battery at night.
The PHEV research project compliments a larger effort by EMCs in Georgia to research and develop renewable technologies to reduce dependence on traditional sources of energy. That work began in 2001 when the EMCs, including GreyStone Power, formed Green Power EMC, the state’s first voluntary renewable energy program. Since 2003, the program has generated more than 112 million kWh of electricity from landfill gas, low-impact hydro and solar projects.
