Electric Cars Could Paralyse Utilities Grid

America's antiquated grid is likely to come under enormous strain when the first wave of mass-market electric cars go on sale next month, according to the Associated Press. On its own, an electric car can draw the same quantity of electricity as a small house, so in theory, a market flooded with electric cars has the potential to knock out whole grids.

This concern is being reflected in parts of California, Texas and North Carolina, where utilities companies are replacing and upgrading transformers in neighborhoods where the roll-out of electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt are expected to be in high demand. Those transformers that distribute power from the electrical grid to homes are often designed to handle fewer than a dozen. For a household, adding an additional electric car will "doub[e] the load of a conventional home," says Karl Rabago, who leads Austin Energy's electric vehicle-readiness program.

Despite scrambling to improve the grid, the roll-out of so many electric cars still has auto executives expecting teething problems. "We are all going to be a lot smarter two years from now," says Mark Perry, director of product planning for Nissan North America.

Unlike other household appliances like microwaves and refrigerators, the car battery can be charged faster, and therefore draw more power. The first Leafs and Volts can draw 3,300 watts, and both carmakers may boost that to 6,600 watts soon. The Tesla Roadster, an electric sports car with a huge battery, can draw 16,800 watts. That's the equivalent of 280 60-watt light bulbs.

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