SORRY, the new Chevrolet Volt does not promise a "green" revolution -- indeed, the car could trigger a whole new wave of blackouts.
Chevrolet notes that the key to high-mileage performance to the tune of 230 miles per gallon "is for a Volt driver to plug into the electric grid at least once each day" to get "40 miles of electric-only, petroleum-free driving."
But that won't be "petroleum-free" in much of the country -- because so many utilities use heavy fuel oil to generate that electricity.
At current electricity-production levels, these plants emit as much as hundreds of thousands of cars on the road each day. If a few thousand well-meaning dupes plug a few thousand new Chevy Volts into electrical outlets (especially in urban centers), you could actually add millions of pounds of dangerous, dirty, unregulated pollution and carbon into the air we breathe -- possibly more pollution than would be offset by putting the Volts on the road.
That's if the electricity grid can handle the added load. In fact, all across the nation, the grid is fragile, antiquated and maxed out.
Generation is tight in many areas, too. For decades now, federal and state governments have pandered to the "Not In My Backyard" lobby and tabled proposals to build desperately needed power plants.
By currying favor with a few constituents in the short term, these politicians have put the safety and security of our electrical supply at great risk. Meanwhile, new technologies vastly increase our demand for energy. Adding Volts to the list of devices that need to be plugged in will put a major strain on an already flimsy electrical supply and distribution infrastructure.
Here in New York -- a vertical city -- we have to be even more vigilant. Our local politicians love hare-brained green schemes; should they start pushing the Volt as a transportation "solution," they could very well push us over the electrical edge.
Think about it: New York City's elevators, water supply, air conditioners, computers and backup servers, subways and traffic lights all depend on a reliable electricity supply. Yet, even after terrorist attacks and blackouts, local politicians have put the whims of local NIMBY groups ahead of plans to even clean, green, state-of-the-art power-generating facilities.
Don't buy the hype. If you decide to put a Chevy Volt in your driveway, be prepared for the shock of your life when there's little or no juice to charge and drive it.
Adam Victor is president of TransGas En ergy (transgasenergy.com), which has been fighting the city and state for permission to build a new type of power plant in Greenpoint., NY Post, 8/13/09
