Story URL: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=126547
Story Retrieval Date: 2/9/2010 8:36:52 PM CST
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Jacob Bressler/MEDILL
One of two I-GO plug-in hybrid cars is parked in front of the Thompson Center Tuesday.
Quinn plugs greener cars
by Jacob Bressler
April 21, 2009
Jacob Bressler/MEDILL
Gov. Pat Quinn speaks at a news conference Tuesday to promote plug-in vehicles.
Sometime in the future, it might be commonplace to see cars plugged into outlets. One Chicago operation has started to put those vehicles on the street.
I-GO Car Sharing, a non-profit that allows members to reserve cars for temporary use, has added two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to its fleet. Power-provider ComEd funded the additions.
Gov. Pat Quinn said at a Thursday news conference that incorporating plug-in hybrids onto Chicago’s streets is part of the state’s goal to promote these energy-efficient cars for financial and environmental benefits.
“We want to make sure that we can explore every avenue we can in Illinois to reduce emissions, improve air quality, and save money on gasoline,” Quinn said.
According to Quinn, the vehicles can get up to 100 miles-per-gallon, an attribute he described as a “tremendous achievement.”
The plug-in hybrids are converted 2009 Toyota Priuses, and each has a power chord attached to the back bumper that is plugged into a designated outlet. The vehicles are parked and can be picked up for use by I-GO members at 201 E. Randolph St. in the Millenium Park garage and in the AMLI 900 tower garage at 900 S. Clark St.
The cars will produce lower energy costs and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, according to ComEd and I-GO .
“We want to provide shared, plug-in vehicles to the public, government and to business,” said Sharon Feigon, Chief Executive Officer of I-GO.
Faigon said I-GO, which has 12,000 members in the city and surrounding suburbs, would like to eventually add as many plug-ins as possible to its sharing operation in order to “help produce the power for the state of Illinois and help ComEd distribute that power through these shared vehicles.”
ComEd Vice President Fidel Marquez said that power utilities such as ComEd need to understand consumer opinion and habits regarding the vehicles. This understanding is necessary so that they can set up infrastructure in the future to support mass quantities of plug-in hybrids.
The use of plug-in vehicles is just one aspect of Quinn’s vision for a greener Illinois.
“We want to have a green way of thinking, and a green way of acting, every single day,” Quinn said.
