Thursday, January 27, 2005

Alternative Fuel Cars: Plug-In Hybrids and Electric Cars

fueling by plugging in









the discontinued Ford Think



Neocon Green James Woolsey




Automakers however show little interest:









The article continues:


Ford Explorer Hybrid converted to be a Plug In Hybrid




Renault Kangoo + Scenic Lighthouse







Hybrid Consortium

Full Christian Science Article on Plug-In Hybrids



Ergosphere on Advances in Battery Technology


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Blogger Geoffrey Styles said...

Plug hybrids are a great idea, with two caveats:
1. Utilities would need to move to time-of-day pricing, to encourage those with plug hybrids to recharge with off-peak power. That way they wouldn't create a need for new generating capacity, at least until they became widespread.
2. As we learned in L.A. when the EV-1 was being touted for its environmental benefits, how the electricity is generated determines how green the electric car is. If it's coal-based, then you are doing better for the environemtn running on gasoline, in terms of both air pollution and greenhouse gases.

7:22 a.m., March 01, 2005  
Blogger stomv said...

As for (1), I think perhaps the converse is true... plug-in hybrids, a higher density of programmable thermostats, etc., might in fact help induce the utility companies to begin offering time-of-day power. In fact, I could envision a time where the electric company uses something closer to real-time pricing and chargers would optimize their charge vs. the market price. Heck, if the price was high enough, batteries could discharge into the system, thereby acting as a distributed load balancing system.

As for (2), that's true -- but as the RPS numbers increase and expand across more states, you'll see the amount of coal (and oil) decrease in percentage terms. Check out this map I made using 1999 data. Specifically, hover your cursor over the third category, (Oil+Coal) percent electricity generation. Over 122 million people live in the "light states" on the map: CA, OR, WA, AK, ID, TX, LA, SC, SD, IL, NJ, NY, CT, RI, NH, VT. So, while some states would shift nearly all oil savings to coal consumption (one pocket near the East Coast, another near the West Coast; see map) -- if the program rolled out in the "greener elec generation" states first, I think it would be a positive net outcome. Besides, it's not all about the short term pollution measurements. Oil consumption reduction is also about better foreign policy, a reduction of the environmental impact of drilling, and about shifting the money in the oil economy toward American jobs instead of Saudi Arabian princes.

What I don't understand is this: how much would it cost the consumer if the Prius et al came with a plug that a consumer could choose to plug in if he wanted to? I mean, my Discman runs off of batteries, but I can plug it in if I want to... why not my hybrid?

8:02 a.m., March 12, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The idea of plug-in hybrids is great. It would save the buyer money in the long run from gasoline and would create far less polution. With the growth of technology they should be able to continue to make them better and better. All of this would lead to cleaner air and less use of natural resources that should be conserved.

9:16 a.m., May 09, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What would it take to use roof top solar to charge the plug in Hybrid? Talk about low emissions!!

9:28 p.m., May 30, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well if you really want to a cost efective PHEV you should be looking at an aerodynamic 65MPH scooter modification. A company (to remain nameless) did a study showing that a plug in scooter using lithium Varta bateries would add 80lb to the Motocycle/scooter and reduce it's diesel fuel consumption to >230mpg with very nice performance. all at an additional cost of only $2K. The very low fuel consumption makes Bio Diesel practical and the urea based emisions reduction system would make this vehicle the cleanest and most efiecient on earth! Oh and you would even stand a chance of charging it off of Wind or PV if you really wanted to since it only requires about 14KWh per gallon and a gallon should last you a week. Yes that's only 2KWh per day!

Trade in my SUV for a scooter are you Mad!!!

Well maybe not as mad as the mothers of all the Iraqi and american boys who wont celibrate their next birthday!

Or maybe not as mad as the 45 year old man who just had his job outsourced to another country because energy costs are rising here.

Or maybe not as mad as the asthmatic who left LA for Phoinix and has now been told that they must yet again move to escpe the polution that is killing them!

5:05 p.m., February 01, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm working a car design that uses alternative energy sources, but I need to know just how much electricity it will take to run a car. Does anyone have any idea?

9:13 p.m., May 22, 2006  
Blogger R.Dress said...

I think that we have the technology to do just about anything we want with the cars. Fold them up and put um in your briefcase at the end of the day. This is not my concern. My concern is if we have the technology, what's the hold up?

There is no doubt in my mind that if these manufactures of conventional cars knew they could make triple the profits by creating smart cars, we would have these cars on the road and on every TV station in every living room in every neighborhood in the U.S. as of yesterday.

Why don't these car companies show some balls? Who will be the first to say, you know what, we are fucking are selves along with the entire planet so lets just stop making conventional cars across the board! What is the obstacles? Greed? Going from billionaire to multi millionaire? These people have families. Don't they care about their children?

And if they know we don't need all that oil in the middle east, then what the hell are we doing there? We still don't know how much oil they have and we will never know. We do know how ever that it's smarter to run are vehicles on alternative methods. So why not build on logic and move forward, rather than on speculation? The world's shame is on us. When I travel abroad I feel compelled to let people know that yes I am an American but however I did not vote for Bush.

So what is America's response? We make Block Buster films and low budget TV shows about natural disasters. We launch some programs with grim music to scare us about how "weather strikes Back." How many more Katrina's?

It's a comfort zone that we are not willing to give up. I think alternative cars are a step in the right direction, but it's going to take a global mind change. Check out Al Gore's documentry.

7:48 p.m., July 15, 2006  
Anonymous Debbie said...

We are in the market for a hybrid, so anyone not selling a hybrid has lost a potential sale. Sorry guys, you snooze, you lose. You better get on the bandwagon. Debbie in Georgia

6:18 a.m., July 27, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Electric Car Idea

Here is a kernel of an idea I want to put out there. The idea is based on toy slot cars. Long highways can be installed with electrically charged tracks embedded in the road. Electric cars would drop an electrode that would use the electricity. Electric cars could go longer distances and even charge while they drive. As cars enter the highway ramp they would get tickets like on a toll road and pay as they exit.

There is also the possibility to drive on auto pilot on these highways. The car would use the track to steer. Distance could be maintained with sonar and speed control. Passing would still be possible by lifting the electric electrode and driving normally.

12:22 p.m., January 04, 2007  
Anonymous madashellqueer said...

Popular Science magazine in 1974 showed how to make an electric car with a lawn mower engine to charge the battery. The only reason these vehicles are not available now is because the oil CEOs sit on the boards of GM and Ford and they are deliberately keeping us on arab oil for a very good reason. They want to keep this current situation going so that the war machine also makes a profit in Iraq.

3:16 a.m., December 02, 2007  
Blogger Russ said...

Electricity is not an energy source. Its source is overwhelmingly coal - meaning a giant step backward with regard to pollution if electric-cars replace cars running on gasoline.

And, as token investment in hydrogen power can be a distraction from the electric-car option, so the electric-car option is a distraction from much more effective and needed solutions:

Drive slower. Drive less, especially alone. Bike more.

The herd needs to change direction. It has way too much momentum toward the cliff it can't see.

8:38 a.m., April 13, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have an idea how for a energy reclaim system that would be adaptable to existing trucks or cars.A friction wheel run against your drive wheel and effects a motor generator charging batteries or a compressor with pneumatic storage .The friction wheel could either free wheel or discharge the energy storage when accelerating and charge it while braking all according to commands from a cruse control style buttons.Simple adaptable and may reduce fuel usage 10 to 20% ?

6:50 p.m., June 12, 2008  
Blogger Jay Draiman said...

You must serve as an example in implementing energy efficiency.



They must practice the same attitude at home and implement energy conservation at home. This attitude will carry on to the workplace.




Jay Draiman, Energy Analyst

7:45 a.m., June 22, 2008  

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