Batteries Included

Green Car Congress posts about a policy statement from the Committee on the Present Danger.

These advisors believe that development of plug-in hybrids, and the supporting battery technology, could have a dramatic effect on the problems caused by oil dependence.

Vanity Plate on Prius


They further stated (Hey, Ford!) that, since battery development for plug-in hybrids promises to revolutionize transportation economics, it should replace the current emphasis on automotive hydrogen fuel cells.

Committee co-chairs are George Shultz and James Woolsey. George Shultz is a former Secretary of State and is currently Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. R. James Woolsey is a former Director of Central Intelligence and is currently Vice President of Booz/Allen Hamilton.

A plug-in hybrid vehicle lessens the disadvantage of an electric car. Electric cars cannot be recharged if their batteries run down at some spot away from electric power and they require lengthy recharging times before re-use. Plug-in hybrids allow for eco-commuting on a much greater scale than currently possible.

The technology advisory goes a step further by recommending a flex-fuel approach, which is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. In other words, for now U.S. energy policy needs to emphasize vehicles that use a combination of internal combustion and electric drive propulsion, and the liquid fuel for the internal combustion engines should be able to use gasoline and / or ethanol / diesel and / or biodiesel.

Moreover the attractiveness to the consumer of being able to use electricity from overnight charging for a substantial share of the day’s driving is stunning… Given the burdensome cost imposed by current fuel prices on commuters and others who need to drive substantial distances, the possibility of powering one’s family vehicle with fuel that can cost as little as one-twentieth of today’s gasoline (in the U.S. market) should solve rapidly the question whether there would be public interest in and acceptability of plug-in hybrids.

Wait a sec… Vehicles based upon existant technology using fuel that could cost as little as one-twentieth of the cost of gasoline sold by U.S. oil distributors today? But, but… Wouldn’t that mean less profit for Big Oil? As CalCars state on their page “All About Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) / Gas-Optional Hybrids (GO-HEVs)”, “chances are you’ll need to go to a gas station less than once a month.”

The Christian Science Monitor previously reported that Toyota may be interested in offering a plug-in hybrid. They already are the winner in the hybrid market and the first CalCars conversion of a hybrid vehicle was the Prius+. Their next project is to offer conversions of the Ford Escape SUV.

Nonetheless, even though they had the technology ready to charge, so to speak, Toyota was smart to hold off introducing such an innovation too quickly in the U.S. market. Gas-electric hybrids are a compromise with Big Oil, plug-in hybrids less so. Besides, enough disinformation exists about hybrids without entering the Vehicle-to-Grid fray.

If there is a sticking point to this policy, it is that the tree-huggers want what this technology affords, cars that have a two-way, “Vehicle-to-Grid” (V2G) connection, while the utility companies want to avoid such “entanglements”.

Cars pack a lot of power. One typical electric-drive vehicle can put out over 10kW, the average draw of 10 houses. Notes CalCars:

When parked and plugged in, hybrids with advanced controllers can both recharge their batteries and announce their identity, location and storage capacity to the grid. The utility can then juggle small amounts of power back and forth to the cars’ large battery packs, helping the utility level its power from moment-to-moment, providing voltage regulation,spinning reserves and other functions.

Another sticking point, as noted by Consumer Reports, is whether large numbers of drivers would want to trade the hassle of plugging in a car for extra fuel economy.

Yes, plug-in hybrids are better for the environment. As Joe Romm, who ran the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE during part of the Clinton Administration and wrote The Hype about Hydrogen, has stated:

My top priority has always been greenhouse gas emissions. Here plug-ins are an unadulterated home run… Green Car Congress, 13 June 2005

And, yes, they are more energy efficient. Are they convenient enough?

For more information, refer to the Institute for Transportation Studies at UC-Davis.

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