Could Electric Cars Give Back?

Welcome to Must Read, where we single out the best stories from around the automotive universe and beyond. Today we have reports from Speed Hunters and The Verge.

Modern Day Da Vinci: Horacio PaganiSpeed Hunters

A better comparison has never been made.

Tomorrow. 7am. You meet me here, and we go upstairs into my office for a chat." When a man like Horacio Pagani utters instructions like these, you simply nod, politely thank him and make sure you get to his office well before the agreed upon time. I've been wanting to have a sit down with the man behind Pagani for a long time now, ever since we visited this little hypercar maker back in 2009. Finally I was to have my chance; only 30 min would have to do as he had meetings that morning and then had to fly off to the other side of the world.

Two-way street: electric cars of the future could give power back to the gridThe Verge

An interesting sentiment.

On September 23rd, the city of Palo Alto, California decided to embrace the electric car. Inspired by one resident who fought to install a public charging station, the city council voted to mandate that every new single-family home be wired to support EV chargers. That might be good news for Palo Alto's wealthy, environmentally conscious populace — not to mention Tesla Motors, which is based there. But if Palo Alto eventually becomes an EV mecca where thousands upon thousands of battery-equipped vehicles need to plug in and charge every evening, what does that do to the grid? If electric vehicles are truly the future, can the country sustain tens or hundreds of millions of them without changing the way we deliver electricity?