Word: sockets
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...Renault looks set to be the first off the line, with plans to roll out four mass-market models in 2011 and 2012. And then there's the problem of the lack of a universal charging standard - European countries have yet to agree on a single plug and socket for electric cars, a process that could take years. And some analysts still question whether there will be enough demand for the vehicles - and if governments will pony up the necessary financial incentives to make them attractive to buyers. (See the 50 worst cars of all time...
...then there's the lack of a standardized European plug and socket. Germany, with Renault's support, is pushing its seven-point version to be the standard, but other countries have their own ideas of what the connectors should look like. "Because Europe is fragmented and countries are putting forth their cars, it's going to be more difficult to come to a federal conclusion," says Calum MacRae, an automotive expert with PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. "Obviously, if you standardize [the connectors], you bring the cost down." And when it comes to selling the public on electric cars, price will...
...Thankfully, the plug challenge is nearly resolved. While no two cell phones can use the same charger, carmakers have agreed on the basic design of a common five-prong plug for use across the industry. The plug will fit into a car's socket, with the other end fitting into a standard 110-volt or 220-volt outlet. It will become the industry standard by 2011. "There aren't going to be any Beta vs. VHS issues to confuse the introduction of electric cars," says Gery Kissel, a General Motors Corp. engineer who served as chairman of the Society...
...course, when it comes to car-charging, plugs are only half the battle; the other half is sockets. Recharging a Tesla through a 110-volt socket - the type found throughout most houses - takes about 12 hours, while the 220-volt socket typically used to operate major household appliances such as washers and dryers takes about half that time...
Nearly every day at dawn, John Heitz falls a little bit in love. Leaning over a 150-lb. (70 kg) yellowfin tuna, the 55-year-old American, whose business is exporting fish, circles his forefinger around its deep eye socket. "Look how clear these eyes are." He traces the puncture where the fish was hooked, and the markings under its pectoral fin where it struggled on the line. "Sometimes," Heitz says, "I see a good tuna, and it looks better to me than a woman...