Last week's heat wave prompted another eruption of that perennial question: Won't electric cars that recharge from grid power overload the nation's electricity system? Or put more bluntly: Will electric vehicles bring down the U.S. power grid? The answer, equally bluntly, is: No. They won't.

General Electric and Nissan plan to research "smart charging" technologies for electric vehicles to help consumers take advantage of cheaper electricity rates and keep the power grid stable. The two companies on Monday announced a memorandum of understanding to undertake research mainly at GE's Niskayuna, N.Y., smart-grid lab for

Photo: Michael Graham Richard Well, it Depends... Not All Megawatts Are Created Equal Power grid operators are looking at the coming wave of plug-in vehicles and trying to figure out what it will mean for them. A group of

Power, pricing and electric vehicles, oh my. The group of U.S. and Canadian power grid operators who make up the ISO/RTO Council (IRC) and manage most of North America’s bulk electric grid, expect 1 million plug-in vehicles could be deployed on the continent within five years to a decade — and they aim to be prepared.

cars are growing ever more connected to communication networks, and upcoming generations of electric vehicles will take it a step further with connections to the power grid.

The devices could help stabilize the grid, and make charging electric cars cheaper.This spring, GE will start selling a line of "smart charging stations," devices that communicate with utilities to optimize charging, for electric vehicles. The technology could be key to ensuring that electric cars don't strain the power grid, and it could cut down

As more appealing electric cars hit the market from luxury car manufacturers like Porsche, there is increasing concern that recharging all those new electric vehicles on the road might cause repercussions for utility companies' ability to predict power usage, especially during peak consumption hours.

When the surge of plug-in vehicles hits the streets over the next few years, how will our electricity grids cope?

A converted Toyota Scion xB wins itself the laurel of being the first electric car that supports the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept practically. It testifies how a clean concept could help its driver to realize savings, cut his expenses and ultimately contribute to the power grid.

Google is developing "smart charging" software to ensure that plug-in electric vehicles don't cause traffic jams on the power grid. The search giant is researching a number of energy-related technologies, including car charging software, where IT and "ET," or energy technology, meet, said Dan Reicher, director