By Bob Difley
CrunchGear published a report on February 22nd that the Japanese Tech giant Sharp, has developed a power conditioner (controller) that makes it possible to use batteries in electric cars as storage batteries for the home.
Sharp says the Intelligent Power Conditioner is one the critical elements in their Eco House concept, which consists of solar energy, utility power, and storage batteries as the energy sources.
In experiments, Sharp was able to squeeze 8kW of power out of an EV traction battery pack used in a Mitsubishi i MiEV – enough to “power electrical appliances in an average household.”
The current question is, with the chaos in some of the world’s major oil producing countries and oil’s surge to over $100/barrel, whether money is going to start pouring into not only electric vehicle technology but in bringing electric vehicles and related infrastructure to market faster.
With gas prices soaring and supplies in question, the government may add more incentives to electric vehicle companies to push us faster along the track to reduce our imported oil consumption, as least to the point where we can supply most of the oil we need from domestic, rather than international–especially OPEC–sources. Will we start to see electric vehicle chargers appearing in campgrounds, national parks, and other tourist hot spots? How about campgrounds installing Sharp Power Conditioners where campers can connect their electric dinghys and feed their excess electrical energy back into the campground power system and in return receive payment for the energy downloaded as campground discounts?
Check out my website for more RVing tips and destinations and my ebooks, BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands, Snowbird Guide to Boondocking in the Southwestern Deserts, and 111 Ways to Get the Biggest Bang out of your RV Lifestyle Dollar.