Ford's Focus Electric in Seattle today

As electric vehicles become more common over the next few years, the age-old human habit of keeping up with the Joneses could challenge the Seattle region's utilities -- creating high concentrations of EV ownership in particular neighborhoods that could strain electrical distribution systems.

That was one of the issues highlighted today at an event where Ford and the city of Seattle vowed to work together to make sure that the electrical system can support the coming wave of electric vehicles, however large that wave may be. Jorge Carrasco, superintendent of Seattle City Light, said the big question isn't whether the utility can get its hands on adequate power to support large numbers of electric vehicles. Its projections indicate that it can.

Instead, the question is whether the distribution system can adequately supply that power to electric vehicle owners. Here's how he explained the situation during an interview on the sidelines of the event.

The more challenging part is the distribution part. This plays into the capacity of the distribution to handle the power flow, to get the power that’s needed to recharge the vehicle. ... It will need to have a certain amount of voltage so that you’re not waiting endlessly to recharge ... Depending on the battery and the battery features, and depending on the voltage level, it could take four hours, eight hours, or it could take 15 minutes if you had a very high voltage available, which is called a third-level voltage. Those are all details that are being worked out right now, but in our case we probably have more questions and things to deal with on the distribution side than on the power supply side.

Later, during a public portion of the event, I asked who would pay for upgrades in the distribution system, if they're needed -- wondering (not entirely seriously) if the city's newly announced "partnership" with Ford might include funding from the automaker for Seattle utility infrastructure improvements.

Jorge Carrasco

"Since you’ve brought it up, I’d welcome any contribution from Ford here today," Carrasco joked.

Turning serious, he explained that the utility is still waiting to see what types of improvements are needed in the distribution system, and how much they will cost. He said those costs "would likely be distributed throughout the rate base," meaning that Seattle City Light customers overall would end up bearing the cost.

Following up on Carrasco's remark, Will Einstein of Puget Sound Energy distinguished between broad infrastructure upgrades and specific electrical improvements that might be needed at homes or businesses to support electric vehicles. While broad upgrades would be funded by the customer base as a whole, upgrades on specific premises would tend to be the obligation of that particular homeowner or business.

Mike Tinskey, Ford's manager of vehicle electrification and infrastructure, responded to Carrasco's tongue-in-cheek invitation for a financial contribution by pointing out, to laughter from the crowd, that his company didn't take government bailout money.

On a serious note, he said the company hopes to see utilities maximize the effectiveness of the existing distribution system by making sure people charge their cars at off-peak hours.

Microsoft, under a previously announced partnership with Ford, will use its Hohm energy management system to help utilities figure out when electric vehicles are being charged and better manage the demand on the grid.

Also speaking at the event was Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, who noted that electric vehicles are just one of the answers to the environmental challenges of transportation. "The scope of the climate change problem is so significant that it’s going to take a wide range of approaches," he said.

As part of the event, Ford brought and offered test drives in one of its Focus Electric vehicles, due out in 2011, which promises a 100-mile range on a single charge.

Among other initiatives highlighted during the event, the city of Seattle noted that it has secured $500,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to install at least 50 charging stations on public property across the city.