Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com

Journey into the future of energy with Eliot Assimakopoulos, an alternative energy technology expert at General Electric Global Research, and you discover that what’s in GE’s world today sounds like it will be in your world tomorrow.

Having looked at what could become the gold standard in technology for optimizing home energy efficiency (See Part 1) it’s time to climb into the car for the commute to work or a shopping trip downtown or at the mall. You’re driving one of those new plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) that started appearing in the U.S. in 2009 and 2010. Instead of having to pay up to $4 or more per gallon of gasoline, you now fill up primarily with electricity that costs far less than a gallon of gasoline. You fill up at home during the overnight hours by “plugging in” to an ordinary electrical outlet. Also, according to Assimakopoulos, you will be able fill up when you go out by parking in a space that doubles as a “gas station” for electric vehicles.

In an interview, Assimakopoulos said that GE is working on technology that will “grid integrate” PHEVs. Basically, there will be parking spaces that have handy devices that look a little like bicycle pumps sticking up out of the ground. You will plug your car into this electric “gas station” and, while you’re working or shopping, your car will get a refill. Thanks to advanced computer technology, the price of that refill will automatically show up on your utility bill.

“It’s what our customers and the Department of Energy are asking for,” Assimakopoulos said, emphasizing that, whatever the public’s perception of the Bush administration on energy may be, he sees the U.S. Energy Department working hard to make electrified transportation a reality.

As with GE’s “Envirodashboard,” creating a world where parking spaces double as electric gas stations won’t be easy because of all the associated technology that must be developed, Assimakopoulos said. Investors who see a pot of gold waiting for every electric utility should note that Assimakopoulos said that some utilities will be better able to exploit this opportunity, such as those servicing large urban areas.