Plug-In Electric Vehicles

EVs are coming to Kanas City

Residential all-electric vehicles will be available in the Kansas City region this fall. The two front-runners in the electric vehicle market right now are the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. They were delivered to select markets in 2010. There’s no information available that will predict how many electric vehicles will be on our streets in the next 12 months, so we’ll be watching closely to see what happens.

EV facts

1. You can charge electric vehicles at home.
   Two levels of charging are standard on all electric vehicles:120-volt and 240-volt. These voltages are already available in most homes -- 120-volt charging uses the common plugs found throughout your home and 240-volt service is the type of voltage major appliances require, such as ranges and dryers. Electric vehicles can be charged on both types of voltages. The 240-volt plug will simply charge the vehicle more quickly than the 120-volt plug. A fully depleted battery takes about six hours to charge on a 240-volt plug but needs 8-9 hours on a 120-volt plug. In the foreseeable future, vehicle manufacturers will partner with local contractors to help homeowners install 240-volt plugs in their garages, as needed.
   
   
2. You can also charge electric vehicles at public charging stations.
   KCP&L is conducting a pilot project with Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition to place 10 charging stations throughout our service territory. Installation will begin in the spring. Locations are being finalized and include shopping malls, hospitals and schools. These organizations will partner with KCP&L to host the charging stations and, initially, allow customers to charge their vehicles at no cost. A charging station is already in place at the SmartGrid Demonstration House (Project Living Proof), located at the Green Impact Zone. The station may be available to the public in the future, but is currently used for demonstration purposes.
   
   
3. Electric vehicles can travel at least 40 miles per charge.
   One of the main concerns about electric vehicles is that they cannot travel very far without needing to be re-charged. The Chevy Volt travels 40 miles per charge. It has a backup gas engine that further extends the range up to 200 miles. The Nissan Leaf travels 100 miles per charge. It is fully electric with no backup gas engine. The typical mid-size passenger car in the United States can travel 300 miles on a tank of gas.