Google.org commitment to halt climate changes

Ever heard about Google.org? Well, they use to define themselves as follows:

"Google.org aspires to use the power of information to help people better their lives. We are an experiment in active philanthropy. In addition to financial resources, we are fortunate to be able to engage Google’s entire family of people and partners, information technologies and other resources to address three major growing global problems: climate change, global public health, and economic development and poverty."

Great, isn't it? But there is more in store rather than just a definition, a declaration of intent. There is a concrete project going on named RechargeIT.

This project is about gathering a series of observation of hybrid-vehicle behavior in real-traffic/life scenarios, and much more... The truly ground-breaking aspect of the project is the study and potentially fostering of a technology termed V2G (Vehicle to Grid).

Here is a Google.org statement that has really excited me thinking about how many good things could be done in the next future if just enough resources and attention were given to new technologies just like Google is committed to do even in fields not related to its core business activities:

"Plug-in hybrid vehicles can achieve 70 -100 miles per gallon, quadrupling the fuel economy of the average car on the road today (~20 mpg), and doubling the fuel economy of a regular hybrid car such as a Prius (~45 MPG). A plug-in hybrid is different from today's hybrid because it has a higher capacity battery and the car can be plugged into a regular 120-volt outlet for charging. Because it is operating primarily on electricity for the first 20-40 miles, the car operates much more efficiently and uses dramatically less gasoline. Manufacturers are now designing plug-in hybrids that may not use any gasoline at all for those first 20-40 miles, and since more than 70% of Americans drive less than 33 miles per day, many will not use any gasoline in their daily commutes -- but they retain the flexibility of using the hybrid gas engine for longer trips. In addition, plug-in hybrids will often recharge at night using excess power from base-load power plants that are already running, so they won't generally add to peak electricity demand. During daytime peak power usage, plug-in hybrids may be able to sell power back to electric utilities, potentially earning drivers as much as $2,000-$3,000 per year".

Welcome philanthropy ;)