NEI Nuclear Notes

The electric car got another nudge—perhaps a significant nudge—towards reality with a new plan from the European Commission to standardize charging points for electric vehicles.  “The new European strategy will provide a supportive framework based on a twin-track approach: improving the efficiency of conventional engines and making ultra low-carbon mobility a reality for European consumers … The strategy also aims at achieving common standards for electrical cars so that they can be charged everywhere in the EU.” There is a bit of Eurocrat-ese to wade through here, but these two goals from the plan stood out:  Promote common standards that will allow all electric vehicles to be charged anywhere in the EU. Encourage installation of publicly accessible charging points. Sounds like a good start. A report released in conjunction with the plan , goes a little deeper on the two points. “However, fast charging with high voltage, public char...

Below we have a quote from the BBC about nuclear energy and electric/hybrid cars. It almost makes the point we wanted, but not quite, and it’s a little silly about where wind and solar fit into the equation. We poked around to see if someone has addressed this topic and stayed a little more on-point and found this from Halbert Fischel in the Weekly Standard: At the risk of some cross-border envy, Canada's Bruce Power Co. operates an eight-reactor plant on the shores of Lake Huron that produces 6.4 gigawatts. By upgrading our own 100-plus plants to that level, we could produce enough cheap electricity to competitively replace gasoline and charge the batteries of every potentially electrified car and light truck in the United States. An additional 40 such plants would be sufficient to power all our buses, heavy trucks, and trains. He goes a little pie in the sky after this, but why not? With 200 plants, augmented by existing and upgraded hydropower, we could replace al...

It's called the Tender Scarlette. Read all about it at Hybrid Cars . Of course, because it's French, it might as well be a nuclear powered jeep.

After taking a hard look at the all-electric Tesla Roadster , Demon Speeding is conjuring up a hopeful, and fun, vision for the future of the automobile: Voltage. Amps. Kilowatts. Zero Emissions. Lithium Ion. I see parking garages and parking lots of work places being equipped with plugs. I see gas stations offering “quick change” battery exchanges similar to the way one could exchange a propane tank today. I see the US taking a new interest in the development and construction of new nuclear power plants . I see electricity rates per kilowatt hour electricity rate falling to all-time lows. I see new racing leagues, in the spirit of Formula 1, Indy, Cart and NASCAR, being launched with all-electric vehicles. I see light at the end of the tunnel for a lifelong “gear-head”. Sounds great to me. Zoom zoom!