Broun gets preview of technology as EMCs demonstrate hybrid cars

Rep. Paul Broun (left) meets with Georgia EMC representatives for the demonstration of a car capable of getting up to 100 miles per gallon.

Representatives with electric membership corporations (EMCs) in Georgia traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to inform Georgia lawmakers that in the future, motorists could get 100 miles per gallon due to the latest in fuel technology.

Tenth District Congressman Paul Broun previewed a Toyota Prius hybrid that has been converted into a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid. The technology was made possible through a research project by the EMCs of Georgia and spearheaded by Jackson EMC, headquartered in Jefferson, Ga., and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Cooperative Research Network (CRN), based in Arlington, Va.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) use a combination of electricity and gasoline to achieve more than 100 mpg around town. (A video featuring the vehicle can be viewed on You Tube at http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=vy2Ciagwrgk.)

Alan Shedd, Jackson EMC's commercial/industrial marketing engineer, and a key member of the joint research group, says the twoyear study will provide valuable data on how PHEVs perform in the real world, along with unbiased answers to questions about the impact of the technology if used on a larger scale. He says the study is unique because it is one of the largest, most comprehensive reviews conducted by a third party.

CRN is responsible for underwriting conversion costs associated with the vehicle, so no additional expenses are incurred by cooperatives.

Researchers predict that consumers could see PHEVs in showrooms within three to fiveyears. The PHEV research project compliments a larger effort by EMCs in Georgia to research and develop renewable technologies to reduce consumer dependence on traditional sources of energy. That work began in 2001 when the EMCs formed Green Power EMC, the state's first voluntary, and renewable energy program. Since 2003, the program has generated more than 112 million kWh of electricity from landfill gas, lowimpact hydro, and solar projects.

Moreover, the EMCs, through Green Power EMC, http://www. greenpoweremc.com/, have sought additional renewable resources to add to their generating capacity, announcing plans to purchase 20 megawatts of electricity from the first poultry litter-to-energy operation in Georgia.

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