When I have the option of plugging in a hybrid, preferably into a socket connected to solar charged batteries, is when I will seriously look at buying one.
hybridcars.com
"How would you like to run your car for less than $1 per gallon, with much lower emissions? Impossible?
Not according to Dr. Andy Frank, Professor of Engineering at the University of California at Davis and Felix Kramer of The California Cars Initiative (CalCars). Frank and Kramer are encouraging the development of the "gas-optional" or “plug-in” hybrid (PHEV), which yields dramatic gains in fuel economy.
Ironically, just when the American public is finally starting to understand that you don’t have to plug hybrid cars in, here comes the plug-in hybrid. With the plug-in hybrid, you still will not be required to plug the car in—but you’ll have the option. As a result, drivers will get all the benefits of an electric car, without the biggest drawback: limited range. You'll be able to go all-electric for the vast majority of your driving that takes place close to home. When the electric charge runs out, a downsized gas engine kicks in and your car drives like a regular hybrid.
Staying in Stealth Mode
Many hybrid car drivers enjoy keeping the car in all-electric “stealth” mode, when the car is in slow stop-and-go traffic. Plug-ins would extend the stealth mode for the lion’s share of our local driving.
The potential advantages are enormous. Consider:
* A hybrid gets about twice the fuel economy as a conventional car of the same size and capacity
* A plug-in hybrid will get about twice the fuel economy of a hybrid
* A plug-in hybrid, running on biofuel (e.g., 85 percent ethanol) could almost entirely eliminate its use of petroleum
What are the naysayers saying about plug-in hybrids? And how do Frank and Kramer respond?
* The extra batteries will weigh too much.
Response: The extra weight of the batteries will be offset somewhat by the reduced weight of the gas engine. At high speeds in particular, fuel efficiency is affected primarily by aerodynamics—the added weight of the equivalent of one or two additional passenger reduces MPG minimally.
* The extra batteries will cost too much.
Response: If sold in high volumes by carmakers, more powerful and cheaper nickel metal hydride or lithium ion batteries could be sold at prices only a few thousand dollars above that of today’s hybrids. Recharging will take place mostly at night during cheaper off-peak hours. Counting purchases, fuel and service, total lifetime cost of ownership will be lower than a gas car.
* Producing power from the grid (to charge the cars) will produce additional emissions.
Response: What the industry calls "well-to-wheel" emissions (including greenhouse gases) for grid-powered vehicles is far lower than gasoline, even for the American power grid (which is 50 percent coal). Cars charging off-peak will use power from plants that can't turn off at night. Many parts of the country get most of their power from cleaner sources such as natural gas and hydropower. It's far easier to improve centralized power stations than millions of aging cars. Finally, plug-in hybrids recharged from rooftop photovoltaic systems would have virtually zero emission.
Future Benefit of Vehicle-to-Grid Connection
Someday, the larger battery packs used in plug-in hybrids could juggle power back and forth from the car to your household current. If adopted on a widespread basis, a fleet of plug-in (a.k.a. "gridable" hybrids) could offer what are called "regulatory services" (keeping voltages steady, etc.) to a modernized electric power grid. It is estimated that what's called "V2G" could benefit individual car owners by as much as $2,000 to $3,000 per year for the use of their energy storage capacity—offsetting their purchase and operating costs.
What Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles Exist?
Professor Frank's Hybrid Center has built a half-dozen PHEVs, including a number of heavy SUVs. CalCars converted a Prius in late 2004. EnergyCS converted two more, with more advanced batteries. And EnergyCS's new company, EDrive Systems, plans to sell conversion kits in 2006.
Who's Touting Plug-in Hybrids?
CalCars is working to promote awareness of the technology and demonstrate a market for plug-in hybrids in hopes Toyota and other manufacturers will build them. In Washington, Set America Free and Securing America's Future Energy, the Apollo Alliance and others are among the groups promoting them for their energy security, environmental and economic development benefits. And a broad effort, spearheaded by Austin Energy, is getting under way to gain commitments from utilities and state and local governments to buy PHEVs for their fleets.
Will Auto Makers Produce Plug-in Hybrids?
In 2004, Robert Graham of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in Palo Alto, Calif., said, “I’m convinced that Toyota already has a plug-in hybrid design ready to bring to the marketplace because it’s the logical next step. They see, as I do, an urban America that wants a clean vehicle in downtown America.” Graham's suspicions were confirmed in early June 2006, when Toyota admitted that it is working on plug-in hybrids, as well as other emerging technologies that the company believes will become commercially viable options in a few years.
DaimlerChrysler has built a handful of plug-in hybrid prototypes based on the 15-passenger Mercedes Sprinter van.
In May 2006, Bill Ford, CEO of the Ford Motor Co., responded to questions about plug-in hybrids at the company's annual meeting by saying, "We have nothing to announce today, but yes, we are keenly looking at it."
You can find more information about the technology behind plug-in hybrids—and the benefits of combining plug-ins with flexible fuels—at CalCars or EV World." |
