SOURCE: Planetforward.org

There are a few people out there who are already running EVs off of solar panels on their home. Plug In America co-founder Sherry Boschert is one of these.

In this short video, posted to the site Planetforward.org, which allows everyday citizens to post their ideas and stories about energy use in the U.S. to the web and which ultimately culls a few of these stories to tell in the PBS program “Planet Forward,” Boschert notes, in a summary that accompanies the online video, that:

We already have the technology to move our transportation away from fossil fuels. My family has driven for 7 years and 70,000 miles with no gas and no emissions in an all-electric car made by a major automaker. The solar panels on our home make enough electricity to offset the cost of powering our house and our electric car. We need to push the auto industry to put plug-in cars back on the market.

Lucky for Boschert, who drives a Toyota RAV4 EV -- which she had to fight to hold on to -- major carmakers are soon going to mass produce EVs and PHEVs.

However, as is apparent from some of the comments posted in response to Boschert’s story, there is plenty of skepticism and concern among at least some in the “green class,” who worry that EVs will simply replace one form of fossil fuel incurred environmental damage with another.

For example, in response to Boschert’s video, “vraven” writes,

“This is only OK if you have your own solar panels on your house and don't plug it in anywhere else.”

We at SolarChargedDriving.Com wouldn’t push it that far – EVs, even those powered 100-percent by coal-produced electricity are far cleaner than gas-powered cars. However, we will say that millions of us need to go solar in order for the so-called zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) to truly live up to its name.

Read more, and watch Boschert’s video at:
http://www.planetforward.org/videos/plugging-in

(SCD.COM Newswire summary posted 8-17-09)