2009 Washington D.C. Auto Show: Policymakers Discuss Plug-In Hybrid Electric Infrastructure

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A Toyota Prius is plugged in at the 2009 Washington Auto Show. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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One of the many topics that automakers discussed at the Washington, D.C., Auto Show Tuesday was hard-wiring America's streets and parking lots to charge the fleet of electric cars they hope to sell. This conversation, however, was more of a rally cry for the government, the electric utility industry and others to embrace a hybrid electric infrastructure.

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Charging stations will be in the position to charge a fat markup on the electricity, because the juice needed to recharge a battery is so much cheaper than gasoline. The cost for the electricity needed to fully charge the Chevrolet Volt's battery to drive 40 miles without using its gas engine is about 80 cents, Britta Gross, General Motors' manager of infrastructure commercialization told PM. So commercial charging stations could apply 100 percent markup to their product and it would still be far cheaper than gasoline.

"There is the opportunity for the government to provide employers incentive to put in the equipment or for them to allow electric companies to put in the equipment in their parking garages," says Stephanie Brinley, senior manager of product analysis for AutoPacific, a consultancy firm.

Local governments could install power outlets in street parking spaces, but few municipalities have the money in their budgets for such things at a time when they are laying off teachers, Brinley says. "Most states and cities are broke and aren't getting any richer," she says.

One solution proposed would encourage municipalities to sign contracts with entrepreneurs who will build a charging network that drivers can use for a fee. "The people putting in the electric plug-in stations need to find a way to make money on it," she says.


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Because GM plans to offer plug-in hybrids rather than pure battery electrics, its customers won't be stranded if they find no power plugs when the battery goes flat. "We don't have range anxiety," said Gross.

But while many customers could be expected to be able to drive to work and back on the Volt's expected 40-mile range, even more people could make their commute on electric power alone if they can recharge the car's battery while the car is parked at work all day, she pointed out. "We need a modest amount of public charging infrastructure," she said.


Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Mini, Smart and others have announced plans to sell electric vehicles to consumers within a few years, so their potential customers have a keener interest in ensuring that there will always be a charging outlet handy. While the challenge appears daunting, building a network of power outlets large enough to inspire confidence in consumers won't be as hard as it looks, Gross said. "It is a lot easier than most people think," she said.

But Irv Miller, group vice president for Toyota Motor Sales, is more skeptical about how quickly such a national charging infrastructure will emerge, and once it does, of the electric power industry's ability to meet the demand for electricity. "I'm not convinced the grid is capable of absorbing the large number of plug-ins and pure electrics that are coming," he told PM.

Many expect plug-ins would be best used in urban environments because the distances covered are relatively short and the "stop-and go"-traffic more frequently activates regenerative braking to help recharge the battery packs. Trouble is, few urban apartment dwellers in, say, Los Angeles, Chicago or NY have access to a garage or driveway where they can securely charge their car. "I guarantee you that there isn't a power plug in the garage of a high-rise co-op in New York City," he says.

Automakers are working today to prepare the needed support for their products a few years hence, says Lou Rhodes, vice president of advanced vehicle engineering at Chrysler LLC. "The free market will find the opportunity for consumers to swipe their credit card," Rhodes says. "We are talking to those companies now."

Despite his skepticism, Miller announced that Toyota has accelerated its planned delivery of 500 plug-in Prius cars to fleet customers to later this year. The company originally announced those cars would reach customers in 2010. But the arrival of plug-ins presents Toyota a headache, Miller said. "We've spent 10 years telling people you don't have to plug in a Prius," he says. —Dan Carney

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