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editors note: Check out the links, they include a wide variety of PHEV stories since our last post.

One Million and 300 Million

2008-08-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

As the political conventions take the stage, it's encouraging to see that both candidates support PHEVs and the development of electric fuel in the transportation sector.

Here's part of Obama's plan thanks to Politico:

Obama calls for 'clean energy' nation
By MIKE ALLEN

Sen. Barack Obama on Monday called reducing the nation’s energy consumption “the great test of our time” and proposed billions of dollars in subsidies for business and consumers to encourage a “clean energy “ future. “We can do this,” he vowed in Michigan, the nation’s car capital, promising to spend $150 billion over 10 years on the effort.

The plans include a $7,000 tax credit to drivers who buy advanced-technology vehicles and $4 billion in direct assistance to Detroit automakers to help them build hybrid vehicles in the U.S. “I ask you to join me, in November and in the years to come, to ensure that we will not only control our own energy, but once again control our own destiny and forge a new and better future for the country that we love,” he said at Michigan State University in Lansing.

The three main components of Obama’s plan are:

— Get 1 million 150 mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrids on U.S. roads within six years.

— Require that 10 percent of U.S. energy comes from renewable sources by the end of his first term – more than double the current level. (25% by 25)

—Reduce U.S. demand for electricity 15 percent by 2020.

“If I am president, I will immediately direct the full resources of the federal government and the full energy of the private sector to a single, overarching goal — in 10 years, we will eliminate the need for oil from the entire Middle East and Venezuela,” Obama said.

“To do this, we will invest $150 billion over the next 10 years and leverage billions more in private capital to build a new energy economy that harnesses American energy and creates 5 million new American jobs.”

To set an example, Obama is vowing to convert the entire White House fleet to plug-in hybrid vehicles within one year, and convert all federal vehicle purchases to plug-in hybrids or all-electric by 2012.

Obama also set several other ambitious national goals:

— Weatherize 1 million homes annually.

— Increase the efficiency of new buildings by 50 percent in the next decade through energy-efficient roofs and better-quality windows and ventilation systems.

— Increase the efficiency of existing buildings by 25 percent over the next decade through retrofitting that includes improved insulation and ventilation systems."

Plug ins are also part of John McCains energy plan. Here's part of his plan ,which includes a 300 million dollar prize for a new revolutionalry storage device.

"John McCain Will Propose A $300 Million Prize To Improve Battery Technology For Full Commercial Development Of Plug-In Hybrid And Fully Electric Automobiles. A $300 million prize should be awarded for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars. That battery should deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs. "

"Our nation's future security and prosperity depends on the next President making the hard choices that will break our nation's strategic dependence on foreign sources of energy and will ensure our economic prosperity by meeting tomorrow's demands for a clean portfolio." more

With both sides of the political coin supporting the development and commercialization of Plug in Hybrids, it's clear that the momentum in plug ins continues to grow.

Just last week, academics and energy professionals came together for a two day workshop to discuss and explore the future of plug-ins and how they can be implemented into the public infrastructure.

Join Us for the Austin Alt Car Conference October 17-18

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editors note:
Check out the links, they include a wide variety of PHEV stories since our last post.

Plug In 2008

2008-08-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Plug in 2008 National PHEV Conference in San Jose by most accounts was a big success. Here's one of the announcements that came out of the conference:

EPRI, GM, 34 Utilities Collaborate to Advance

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

PALO ALTO, Calif. – July 22, 2008; The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced today a research and development collaboration with General Motors and 34 top utilities to facilitate integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the grid, a key step in providing the nation’s drivers an alternative to petroleum fuels.

“The EPRI-GM-utility effort is the result of many years of work by EPRI and its members to advance plug-in hybrids and related infrastructure technology to a point of feasible implementation and eventual commercialization,” said Arshad Mansoor, EPRI’s vice president of Power Delivery and Utilization. “Seamless integration of PHEVs into the electric grid will require close collaboration between the automobile and electric sectors.”

PHEVs use domestically produced electricity delivered through the grid, with a lower cost to fuel the vehicles than that of petroleum fuels. Additionally, research released last year by EPRI and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) pointed to the potential of PHEVs to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The entire PHEV environmental assessment is available on the EPRI website .

“Electrically powered vehicles are going to provide tremendous benefit and excitement for the customer, while also hastening the move to a more diverse choice of energy alternatives,” said Jon Lauckner, GM vice president of Global Programs. “But we know that there are some key elements that need to be understood and put in place so customers can enjoy those benefits and get maximum use of these vehicles when we bring them to market. That’s why this relationship with EPRI and the utility partners is so important.” (clip)

“This research program will help link a low-carbon generation portfolio and a smart grid, which in turn will facilitate widespread adoption of electricity as an alternative transportation fuel,” Mansoor said. “PHEVs have the potential of creating tremendous value for society by use of lesser emitting and lower cost electricity.”

The collaborative will also address issues that ensure safe and convenient vehicle charging, public education, and public policies requirements to enable a smooth introduction of PHEVs as a transportation alternative to conventional vehicles.

Participants in the collaboration include Alabama Power, American Electric Power, Austin Energy, BC Hydro, CenterPoint Energy, Consolidated Edison of New York, Dominion, DTE Energy, Duke Energy, FirstEnergy Corp., Georgia Power, Great River Energy, Hydro-Québec, Manitoba Hydro, Nebraska Public Power District, New York Power Authority, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Progress Energy, Public Service Electric & Gas Co., Sacramento Municipal Util. Dist., San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison Co. and Southern Company.

In another announcement at the convention, Google announced two more recipients of their "Recharge It" largesse. Here's part of the story from CNET:

Google.org is investing $2.75 million into electric-vehicle maker Aptera and battery start-up ActaCell. The announcement, which follows Google's request for proposals from companies with electric car technologies, came Tuesday during the Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose, Calif.

.
Aptera, of Carlsbad, Calif., makes street-legal three-wheelers with a unique, aerodynamic design.

The company aims to sell its Typ-1 model for less than $30,000 by the end of year. It's marketing a pure electric as well as a gas electric plug-in hybrid achieving more than 200 miles per gallon. The vehicles are supposed to accelerate to 60 miles per hour within 10 seconds, drive 120 miles on a full charge, and recharge from a 110-volt outlet.

ActaCell of Austin, Tex., aims to develop long-lasting lithium-ion batteries. On Wednesday it announced $5.8 million in series A financing led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson and including Google.org, Applied Ventures, and Good Energies. " And the technology may be groundbreaking.

If you missed Plug in 2008, you can still make another exciting conference, and you get to come to Austin in the beautiful fall of the year.

So, make plans to join Plug in Partners and Austin Energy as we host the AltCar Expo & Conference, October 17 & 18, 2008 in Austin.

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editors note:

Check out the links, they include a wide variety of PHEV stories since our last post.

The 80-20 Rule

2008-07-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

Often when I talk about Plug-Ins, I say that PHEV's are a perfect embodiment of the 80-20 rule. There are a lot of versions of the rule and it has been written about a lot. But in the case of the PHEV, the logic goes something like this:

Roughly 80% of our daily trips are under 35 miles. And the remaining 20% are longer trips. So why carry around five times more battery storage and weight for that 20 %? Take care of that 20% with a small, efficient gasoline engine that runs at its optimum speed.

This so called Pareto principle is everywhere. As a business, 80% of your income comes from 20% of your products. 20% of your time gets 80% of the work done. 20% of the population has 80% of the wealth. However, 70% of vehicles can apparently be fueled with no increase of electrical capacity.

There are a lot of facts and misstatements about Plug-Ins that circulate these days about water consumption, pollution, the need for new power plants, and the like.

This post from Climate Progress deals very nicely with a lot of them. Here's a piece of it:

Why do PHEVs reduce greenhouse pollution?

A study by EPRI, the California Air Resources Board, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and others (5.3MB PDF) concluded that plug-in hybrids produced substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions than either conventional gasoline cars or unplugged hybrids. The reduction in emissions results from electric operation being much more efficient than gasoline operation.

Don’t PHEVs and BEVs just shift pollution from the tailpipe to power plants?

No. The proper comparison between vehicle types is the “wells-to-wheels” basis, where the pollution from extracting the raw materials, shipping, transformation (e.g. refining), and use are added. BEVs and PHEVs running on electricity have zero tailpipe emissions, but there are still mining and power plant emissions. Those emissions are however much lower than the corresponding crude oil extraction, refining, and tailpipe emissions. Pollution here includes greenhouse gases such as carbon-dioxide. The grid is getting cleaner each year, and will continue to do so as we replace fossil power plants with renewables, while a gasoline car gets dirtier as it ages.

Fueling a car on gasoline made from coal (Coal-To-Liquids or CTL) emits twice as much greenhouse gas as gasoline from crude oil.

Why is fueling a PHEV from coal electricity better than gasoline?

Two reasons: (1) Electric motors are extremely efficient compared to internal combustion engines, and this efficiency more than compensates for the dirtiness of coal. (2) The U.S. grid is only 49% coal (natural gas is 20%, nuclear is 20%, hydro is 7%, and other renewables are 2.4%). Thus power to charge PHEVs is not all from coal, and some is from zero emission sources.

Are the batteries ready?

Yes. According to EPRI, “battery durability testing sponsored jointly by EPRI and Southern California Edison demonstrate that current lithium-ion batteries are likely to retain sufficient capacity for more than 3000 dynamic deep-discharge cycles–about 10-12 years of typical driving.” The excuse “the batteries aren’t ready” has been used frequently because it is convenient, and few people bother to check. Any manufacturer sells what it has, and automakers are no different. When there are failures of planning in the board room, it is convenient for a manufacturer not to admit their mistake, but to blame the lack of a product on something beyond their control. That is PR.

The current absence of plug-in vehicles from America’s showrooms has been conveniently blamed on the batteries. In reality, existing, proven NiMH batteries, such as found in hybrids and BEVs could easily power PHEVs. However, automakers would like to switch from NiMH to Li-Ion batteries for PHEVs because they are lighter, smaller, and potentially cheaper. Common Li-Ion batteries (Lithium-Cobalt), such as found in cell phones and laptops have lifetime and safety issues, which allowed the automakers to claim lack of readiness.

However, other Li-Ion chemistries have existed for some time, so this claim was not accurate. For example, Lithium-Iron-Phosphate batteries are inherently safe and will last the lifetime of a vehicle. Also, the issues with Lithium-Cobalt batteries can be solved with the addition of other elements such as nickel and manganese. For example, Sanyo uses a mixture of Ni, Mn, and Co for the positive electrode, thereby producing a safer battery that exhibits power retention ratio of 80% or higher after 10,000 cycles (10-15 years in a hybrid vehicle). (more)

The good news is this.

Plug-ins will be available in the next 2 years from a variety of manufacturers.

And it won't be long before you can drive one.

And 80% of your transportation fuel can be 100% green.

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VW Jumps on the Bandwagon

2008-06-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Another major manufacturer is jumping on the plug in hybrid bandwagon. Here's the story from Motor Trend:

VW jumping on plug-in hybrid bandwagon

with TwinDrive system

Nate Martinez

June 26 2008

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn announced today that pre-production testing of the automaker's plug-in hybrid electric system, dubbed TwinDrive, is underway with the full support of the German government. If all goes as planned, VW is hoping to introduce the technology on vehicles by 2010, that magical year when plug-in electric vehicles being promised by multiple automakers are supposed to hit the world's roads.

During a presentation of Volkswagen's new electric car program entitled "Fleet Test: Electric Drive Vehicles," Winterkorn explained that TwinDrive can power a vehicle solely on electricity for up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) and can be plugged into to existing power outlets for recharging. Much like GM's system in development for the Volt, the car's lithium ion battery power supply is supplemented by a traditional gasoline engine for long distance travel.

"While the E-motor on a typical hybrid model just supplements the combustion engine, the exact opposite is true on the TwinDrive: here the diesel or gasoline engine supplements the E-motor," Winterkorn said. "(clip)

According to Jalopnik, "the Twin Drive can be run in electric-only mode for a range of up to 30 miles using an 82 HP electric motor. But, there's also a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel that makes 122 HP which can take over once the batteries have been drained. When the two powerplants combine, you have a parallel hybrid with about 174 HP.

Wired adds this:

"Start-stop technology will save power and regenerative braking will help generate it. VW says the car will use lithium-ion batteries and have an all-electric range of 31 miles. The company recently signed a deal with Sanyo to develop li-ion batteries; the electronics company plans to begin production next year and says it will spend $769 million on the effort during the next seven years. "

As for VW's overall plans, RiverWired writes:

"Volkswagen will have three hybrids, one of which will plug in, and an all-electric car in dealerships in 2010. The Touareg SUV and popular Rabbit hatchback will be available as hybrids, while the Jetta will be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.The electric car will be a limited edition of the new up! concept.

No word yet on how many of these four cars will actually hit the market in 2010. German-language car magazine Auto Motor und Sport reported that VW CEO Martin Winterkorn just recently announced the plan to build the green Vee-Dubs. The PHEV Jetta will -- theoretically -- be in good company, as GM is working furiously on the Volt and Toyota will offer a plug-in Prius."

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel spoke at the Volkswagen event where he stated that he expects around 1 million hybrid cars on German roads by 2020 and more than 10 million a decade later.

Meanwhile, John McCain has hired Plug in Activist Jim Woolsey as his energy advisor.

Woolsey believes that "the greatest danger to the country now is not nuclear and chemical weapons but climate change and the American dependence on oil which is partly blamed for causing it.

Mr Woolsey believes the greatest weapon in America's arsenal is not the stealth bomber, the Abrams tank or the F-16 jet – but the humble plug-in hybrid car that will let most people do their daily drive on electric power. "

And on the day of that announcement, McCain came out for a $300 million prize for a new game changing energy storage device, ten times more than the feds are spending now.

As the Economist says, it may truly be the beginning of the end of the Petrolhead.

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Toyota Plug In

2008-06-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe made his company's intentions clear yesterday about PHEVs. Here's the story from the LA Times:

Toyota promises plug-in hybrid vehicle in U.S., Japan and Europe by 2010
By Yuri Kageyama,

The Associated Press

June 11, 2008

TOKYO -- Toyota is introducing a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries in the U.S., Japan and Europe by 2010, under a widespread "green" strategy outlined today.The ecological gas-electric vehicles, which can be recharged from a home electrical outlet, will target leasing customers, Toyota Motor Corp. said.

Such plug-in hybrids can run longer as an electric vehicle than regular hybrids, and are cleaner.Lithium-ion batteries, now common in laptops, produce more power and are smaller than nickel-metal hydride batteries used in hybrids now.

The joint venture that Toyota set up with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic products, will begin producing lithium-ion batteries next year and move into full-scale production in 2010, Toyota said.

Toyota also said it's setting up a battery research department later this month to develop an innovative battery that can outperform even that lithium-ion battery.

Japan's top automaker, which leads the industry in gas-electric hybrids, has said it will rev up hybrid sales to 1 million a year sometime after 2010. (clip)

"Without focusing on measures to address global warming and energy issues, there can be no future for our auto business," Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters at a Tokyo hall. (more)

Meanwhile, in the United States, the political environment to support plug ins continues to grow.

"On June 11 and 12, the Brookings Institution and Google.org will host a conference entitled “Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?” The event represents the biggest gathering of national powerbrokers discussing the role of government regarding plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.

The list of attendees includes Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.); Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.); New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman; Jon Wellinghoff, commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and CEOs and top executives from Ford, General Motors, Federal Express, and Southern California Edison.

Event Summary

Oil prices are at record highs. The overwhelming dependence of our cars and trucks on oil strains family budgets, threatens our national security and contributes to global warming. Plug-in electric vehicles have the potential to significantly reduce the United States’ dependence on oil.

Yet can this potential be realized? If so, how?

Is there a national interest in putting millions of plug-in vehicles on the road soon? How should policymakers in Washington, D.C., respond?

You can watch the event here.

Clearly, as indicated in this opinion piece from the Orlando Sentinal, the time for Plug-ins is Now.

For all the concern over climate change and heavy reliance on foreign oil, there has been little attention given to a technology that could be the key to help resolve both problems: the electric plug-in automobile.Given the public's desire for cars that cost less to run, Detroit now has a golden opportunity to fill a large potential market for plug-in hybrids -- essentially gasoline-electric cars modified to run in an all-electric mode for all or a large part of a daily commute.

Detroit could not only pre-empt this market in America, but also could establish a true world car that would help relieve all countries of their overwhelming dependence on oil for automotive transportation. (clip)

But real change won't come until car owners recognize the need for it. That time may have arrived now that gasoline prices have hit $4 a gallon or more."

You can help that real change come.

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GridPoint, Duke Energy complete successful test of technology

On the Horizon

2008-05-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Now that the number one automaker and the number two automaker has made the commitment to building Plug In hybrid / electric vehicles by 2010, another automotive giant is joining the race.

Here is the story from the New York Times:

Nissan Plans Electric Car in U.S. by ’10
By BILL VLASIC
Published: May 13, 2008

DETROIT — The Nissan Motor Company plans to sell an electric car in the United States and Japan by 2010, raising the stakes in the race to develop environmentally friendly vehicles.

The commitment — expected to be announced Tuesday by Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn — will be the first by a major automaker to bring a zero-emission vehicle to the American market. Nissan also expects to sell a lineup of electric vehicles globally by 2012.

In an interview Monday, Mr. Ghosn said Nissan decided to accelerate development of battery-powered vehicles because of high gasoline prices and environmental concerns, not just because of the need to meet stricter fuel-economy standards.

“What we are seeing is that the shifts coming from the markets are more powerful than what regulators are doing,” he said.

Mr. Ghosn said Nissan envisioned a broad range of electric vehicles, starting with small cars, and adding: “It’s not only about a small city car or a small minivan. It can also be about a small commercial vehicle and a small crossover.” clip

The company plans to introduce 60 models worldwide by 2012. Several new products are planned for the United States market, including a new Maxima sedan, the Cube small car and a new version of the Z-family sports cars.ew" more

And there is this from the Wall Street Journal:

"In an interview Wednesday, Mr. Ghosn said not all the electric cars Nissan manufactures will be purely electric or emission free. He said Nissan would make some models available with an optional "range extender" -- a gas-powered engine that recharges the battery and keeps the vehicle moving after the initial plug-in charge expires. Nissan, he said, aims to sell vehicles that are "pure electric, zero emission. But you always have the possibility of having a range extender."

Thus, Nissan will be offering serial plug in hybrids.

As this story from Business Week states, the rivalry in low carbon cars is heating up.

"Practically every automaker on the planet is being forced to make cars and trucks that pollute less and go farther on a tank of fuel. Here is what GM and its main rivals have in the pipeline.

GM (GM). The Chevrolet Volt is the sexiest green car in GM's arsenal. Due in November, 2010, the sedan will charge up in six hours and run for 40 miles before a small gasoline engine fires up and recharges the battery, extending the range to 600 miles.

Toyota (TM). It already has the Prius and five other hybrids selling in the U.S. The company plans to lease a limited number of plug-in hybrids by 2010 and put its gasoline-electric hybrid system into more models.

Honda (HMC). It's the contrarian. While Honda aims to launch another hybrid compact by 2010, it also has plans for clean diesel engines in anything larger than a Civic.

Nissan (NSANY). CEO Carlos Ghosn bought Toyota's hybrid system for the Altima family sedan. But in two years Nissan will replace it with one that's home-grown. Plus, in 2010, Nissan plans to start selling electric cars worldwide. They will use technology similar to GM's.

Ford (F). GM's crosstown rival is pushing its Eco Boost engines, which generate plenty of power and better fuel economy. And by the end of the decade two more hybrids will join the Escape SUV in Ford's gasoline-electric lineup.

PHEV's may not have arrived, but they are definitely on the horizon.

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Partner Update and Announcement

2008-04-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Coming this fall, mark you calendars for the Austin Energy Alt Car Expo and Conference. It's October 17th and 18th and it will be a great opportunity to see what's happening in plug-ins, mass transportation, and urban planning. For general and exhibitor information, call Christine at Platia Productions (310) 390-2930 or email platia@earthlink.net.

And here is a Plug in Partners Update:

Partners Update

Partners

There are currently 629 entities signed on as Partners. They include:

Ø Cities = 76
Ø Counties/Local Governments = 35
Ø Public Utilities = 166
Ø Businesses = 178
Ø Non-Profit Groups = 67
Ø National/Local Environmental Groups = 37
Ø Investor-Owned Utilities = 10
Ø State/Federal Agencies = 17
Ø Alternative Fuels Associations = 31
Ø Utility Associations = 9
Ø National Security Associations = 3

“Soft” Fleet Orders (total 11,431 orders)

Ø 1,733 Heavy Truck
Ø 1,891 Light Truck
Ø 1,150 Medium Truck
Ø 1,834 SUV
Ø 127 School Bus
Ø 3,494 Sedan
Ø 52 Tractor
Ø 1,150 Van

Campaign Activity

Ø WE are working through EPRI to partner with GM and FORD on PHEV development

Ø Working with V2Green to test V2G communication. Check out the press release at v2green.

Ø Working with the PEW Foundation in get industry partners

Ø Working with EPRI as a partner in the PHEV “Trouble Truck” research and development

Ø Attending national conferences to continue to get new PIP members and inform the public about PHEVs

Legislation

Ø Last years energy bill, HR 6, created a plug in hybrid demonstration program at the DOE, loans for advanced battery production, and other needed incentives for manufacturers of plug in hybrids. Unfortunately, consumer tax incentives for the purchase of plug in hybrids were not included. Although consumer tax credits for PHEVs enjoyed bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, concerns over other tax portions of the energy bill resulted in the entire tax package being removed from the original bill.

Ø In 2008, the House of Representatives will try once again to pass a renewable energy and energy efficiency tax credits bill that will include a tax credit for Plug in Hybrids. The bill, HR 5351 includes a credit for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The bill would provide a tax credit of between $4,000 and $6,000 for purchasers of a PHEV. The base credit will be $4,000 for a PHEV with a battery of at least 5kwh. The credit will increase by $200 for every kwh of capacity above 5kwh up to a maximum of 15kwh. A 15 kwh battery would have an approximate all-electric range of between 40 and 60 miles depending on the configuration of the vehicle operating system and many other factors. This is the same bill that the House passed in 2007.

Ø The US House passed a bill that would extend a series of tax credits for renewable energy and energy efficiency and pay for them by eliminating or scaling back oil and natural gas industry tax breaks. The bill (H.R. 5351), would extend a variety of tax credits beyond 2008 and create new ones, including a credit for cellulosic ethanol production and an incentive for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Exhibitions

Ø April 23-27, AIP Convention, Las Vegas
Ø April 25-26, Alt Build, Santa Monica, CA

News Stories

California Ruling to Revive the (Hybrid) Electric Car

Volvo Planning Plug-In Hybrid for Sweden

Aptera the new face of hybrid technology?

AFS Trinity's 150 MPG Extreme Hybrid SUV

Starts Cross Country Earth Day Tour

Toyota 1/X Concept

GM bets on electric Volt

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PHEV's and Water Consumption

2008-04-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

In our last post on Blowback, we observed and opined that any movement forward exerts a force in the opposite direction, and that it is natural. However, this story on water consumption seems to be more than just natural clever shaping, it seems seriously wrong.

Here is the story and the claims.

Plug-in Cars Could Drain U.S. Water Supply,

Researcher Says

By Jennifer Bogo

Popular Mechanics
March 7, 2008

"A 30-mile commute in a gasoline-powered car would require the withdrawal of 18.9 gallons of water, according to a study he co-authored this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The same commute in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), meanwhile, would take a whopping 318 gallons.

All told, electric miles necessitate threefold the water consumption and 17 times the water withdrawal of gasoline miles. But wait, aren’t PHEVs the environmentally friendly choice? “If you are a plug-in hybrid owner and you have wind or solar power at your house, then you can feel really good about your plug-in hybrid using very little water, if any,” Webber told PM. “If you’re a hybrid owner and are plugging your car into the standard U.S. grid, then your car is not very clean, nor is it water-free.”

With the grid’s current composition, electricity production requires about 136,000 million gallons of freshwater per day, accounting for over 40 percent of all daily freshwater withdrawals in the nation. That’s because coal-fired and nuclear power plants that use steam to drive a turbine typically use water—vast amounts of water—to cool and condense the steam at the exhaust."

And here's the disclaimer, followed by the restatement.

"Though most of this water is returned to the source (albeit at a higher temperature), a 17-fold increase in demand would pose a real problem for water-stressed regions, making power plants more vulnerable to shut down during times of drought."

In truth, to make a meaningful statement about water consumption, one needs to quote, well, the consumption, not the amount of water that is used to cool the plant.

Otherwise, it's the rough equivalent of saying that hydropower plants withdraw all of the water that goes through the dam's turbines.

According to this EPRI document most conventional power plants use from 200 gallons up to 900 gallons per MWH, depending on whether the plant uses natural gas, coal, or nuclear fuel, and depending on the cooling technology employed. (in that order)

The misrepresentation in this story thus seems staggering.

If you take 500 Gallons per MWH as a blend between all of your plants, and each KWH of electricity gives you four miles, then actual water consumption to go the 30 miles in the story is much closer to four gallons not 318 gallons. Water consumption per MWH for a new natural gas plant is around 250 gallons per MWH. At that rate of consumption and at an average of 20 MPG, the amount of water per electric gallon of gas is about 1.25 gallons. Most thermal plants will use around 3 gallons. Of course, there is no water consumed at all with wind power or solid state solar plants.

And what about the water used to refine gasoline?

The number varies greatly, but the ConocoPhillips refinery in Billings, Montana processes 62,000 bbls of crude oil, or 2.6 million gallons per day. That is 879 million gallons of crude oil per year. The water usage for the plant is 456 million gallons. That works out to be 0.52 gallons of water per gallon of crude oil processed. The study uses a range of 1.4 to 2.9 gallons of water per gallon of gasoline.

And what about the water consumed in the Tar Sands? Or in Saudi Arabia where they use massive water flooding?

Now, if you read the abstract of the original report, you will see that it says that electrics require 3 times the water consumption and 17 times the water withdrawal. The story above even says that. But with a headline that says "Plug in Cars could drain the US water supply," and the lead paragraph saying "a whopping 318 gallons", it's hard to see.

But it's even harder to see how the authors' work could have generated such a headline, given their own conclusion.

"Overall, we conclude that the impact on water resources from a widespread shift to grid-based transportation would be substantial enough to warrant consideration for relevant public policy decision-making."

At Plug In Partners, we conclude that plug-ins powered by combined cycle natural gas plants use slightly less water than gasoline vehicles, and that plug-ins powered solely by coal and nuclear facilities will consume significantly less than the study's 3 times rate. We further conclude that the larger 17 fold increase number is mostly useful as a highly misleading headline.

Another writer from another publication could have just as easily written this headline:

Plug in Cars powered by Renewables will save US Water Supply.

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PHEV Blowback

2008-03-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

A curious story ran in USA Today last week. Here is the headline and the lead:

Plug-in cars could actually increase air pollution
By James R. Healey, USA TODAY

The expected introduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could cut U.S. gasoline use but could increase deadly air pollution in some areas, two reports say.

In the the story, he quotes a previously published NRDC report, specifically this quote:

"If large numbers of plug-in hybrids were being recharged with power from the least-sophisticated coal plants, "There is a possibility for significant increases of soot and mercury," says a report by environmental advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council. Soot particles can make it hard to breathe, especially for asthmatics. Mercury is toxic. "

But was the NRCD report a negative report?

Here is the NRDC's response to the story.

As someone who has been enthusiastically watching and promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, I was concerned that the headline of an article in USA Today (“Plug-in cars could actually increase air pollution,” Feb. 26) could lead to misperceptions about the environmental benefits of plug-in hybrid vehicles. The fact is that plug-ins are an important opportunity for reducing pollution.

According to John O'Dell for Edmunds.com:

"Chelsea Sexton, executive director of Plug In America, an advocacy group for PHEVs, has deeper concerns, though, maintaining that the story "borders on the irresponsible, ignoring the full picture and cherry-picking negative facts from different studies in order to prove a point that doesn't exist."

The Electric Power Research Institute study cited frequently in the article actually shows that plug-in hybrids "remain one of the most promising technologies to off-set petroleum use and minimize negative environmental impact," she said.

Indeed, the EPRI study's summary clearly states that annual and cumulative greenhouse gas emissions in every one of the nine electricity production and plug-in use scenarios considered (lotsof coal to little or no coal, lots of PHEVs to few of them) would be "reduced significantly."

Furthermore, the study found that in any scenario, "each region of the country will yield reductions in GHG emissions."

Felix Kramer had this to say about the story:

"USA Today automotive reporter Jim Healey was quite positive about the test drives he took in Ford and Toyota prototype PHEVs in January:

Now he's gone back to several reports released months ago, including one by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and selectively cherry-picked the most unlikely scenarios under which coal could be the culprit for PHEVs resulting in higher emissions. While eliciting worst-case comments from NRDC, he failed to ask EPRI for its views.

This may be simply be a journalist's report, or it could signal the beginning of a sustained effort by a range of liquid fuel advocates to attempt to slow the growing momentum of support for the electrification of transportation."

In the world of intelligence operations, Blowback typically appears random and without cause, because the public is unaware of the secret operations that provoked it.

Perhaps this is just one reporter's take, or it is "the beginning" that Felix suggests.

Every action has a reaction.

Blowback is predictable.

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*Blowback II courtesy of Andrew Rucklidge, Christopher Cutts Gallery, 2006,

NC Transportation Center

2008-02-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

It's fair to say that the plug in hybrid (watch video) was born in California at UC Davis through the vision and tenacity of Andy Frank; but now, as the idea and the technology begins to mature and spread, another State and another University is joining the effort:

Here's the story from Channel Nine news:

N.C. Governor Announces New Energy Program

For Plug-in Hybrid Cars

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State University plans to launch a research hub for the development of plug-in cars, a project that has attracted the interest of both energy and automobile companies.

The school already conducts research into the development of the no-gas vehicles. And Gov. Mike Easley said Tuesday that, depending on the support from federal grants, the state may give $5 million to start and $1 million annually to operate the Advanced Transportation Energy Center there.

"This new energy economy is out there just waiting for somebody to pluck it from the vine," Easley said in announcing the plan at a forum on energy at N.C. State. "I'm going to make sure that North Carolina gets its share. America's ready to go where North Carolina's ready to go."

Duke Energy Corp. and Progress Energy Corp. said they have both pledged to participate in the project and are already developing a grid system that would allow drivers to charge their car batteries while away from home.

Easley said General Motors Corp. may also join the program as researchers seek to develop lighter and safer vehicles that the batteries can power.

The initial mandate of the center would be the development of cheaper, lighter and more efficient batteries that could be plugged in at home. N.C. State Chancellor James Oblinger said he expects to develop a battery that can power a vehicle without the aid of gasoline within the next two to five years.

Cost is a big factor for making the batteries available to the average consumer, and Easley said with the proper research that the department can bring the cost of the battery from $10,000 to $3,000 and make other improvements. clip

"This is transformational," said Progress Energy CEO Bill Johnson. "This really is a bold and aggressive idea."

The ATEC will be stationed on NCSU's burgeoning Centennial Campus. NCSU Chancellor James L. Oblinger states, “Growth in the use of plug-in hybrid technology and infrastructure opens the door for North Carolina and N.C. State to be leaders in creating a workforce for advanced transportation. “

Plug-ins hybrids are the next phase in the whole hybrid automobile craze. Toyota is currently testing its own prototype plug-in Prius and 100 Californian households will receive plug-in Priuses this spring.

General Motors is also on the plug-in bandwagon with its Saturn Vue Green Line. The Vue Green Line will get a two-mode hybrid powertrain later this year and a plug-in variant will be introduced in 2009.

GM's much-hyped Chevrolet Volt will also feature plug-in capabilities. The Volt will be able to charge its batteries via the charging port or via the onboard 1.0 liter turbocharged gasoline engine."

Here at Plug in Partners we've added three new cities

Atlanta, GA
Trenton, NJ
Urbana, IL

Membership now includes over 630 partners, including 73 cities, 36 counties and local governments, 177 electric utilities, and 38 environmental groups.

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Green lights for drivers in Detroit

PHEV Energy Bill

2008-01-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

We've had the people in our shop go over the new energy bill with an eye for Plug Ins and electric transportation in general. Here is the outline of what the bill intends to do:

SECTION 131 TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION

SEC 131 Transportation Electrification

DOE to establish competitive grants for electric vehicles and PHEVs to encourage early widespread use and advance production of electric (And PHEV) vehicles in USA. $90 million per year authorized (2008-2012). One third of funds reserved for local governments.

DOE to provide grants for electric transportation projects such as truck stop electrification, airport ground support equipment, electric rail, etc. $95 million per year authorized (2008-2012)

Electric Drive Transportation technology high school and college level education program established by DOE including a “Dr. Andrew Frank PHEV Competition” and financial assistance to support engineering degree programs.

SEC 132 Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grant Program
Grants to auto makers, suppliers, component manufacturers to encourage PHEVs, EVs, and advanced diesels. Priority given to recently closed facilities or facilities in danger of closing

SEC 133 Inclusion of Electric Drive in Energy Policy Act of 1992
Adds PHEVs, hybrids, and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles to list of those vehicles receiving credit under Epact fleet requirements.

SEC 134 Loan Guarantees for Fuel Efficient vehicles including electric and PHEVs

SEC 135 Advanced Battery Loan Guarantee Program
Guarantees of loans for construction of battery manufacturing facilities including electrical systems and software.

SEC 135 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Incentive Program
Direct loans ($25 billion authorized) to entities producing advanced vehicles that have Bin 5 Tier II Emissions standards and at least 125% of fuel economy of similar vehicles

SEC 136 Federal Vehicle Fleet Requirements
EPA to provide list of low GHG emitting vehicles.Federal agencies must use low GHG emitting vehicles

SEC 142 Federal Fleet Conservation Requirements
Federal agencies to reduce petroleum use by 20% by 2015

SEC 206 Study of Credits for use of Renewable Electricity in Electric Vehicles
EPA to study feasibility of providing credits under renewable fuel standard for electric vehicles using renewable power.

Sec 641 Energy Storage for Transportation and Electric Power

Vehicle Demonstrations
Directs DOE to carry out a program of electric drive vehicle energy storage technology demonstrations though a consortia. Consortia may include investor owned utilities (IOUS) and municipal utilities, state and local governments, mass transit authorities, manufacturers, and institutions of higher education.

This shall demonstrate storage performance, energy management systems, integration with vehicular platforms, and integration of advanced vehicle technology with electric distribution systems. Authorizes $30 million per year 2009-2018

Secondary Application and Disposal of Electric Drive Batteries
Directs DOE to carry out research, development, and demonstration of secondary application of vehicle batteries, and Research, development and demonstration of recycling, and disposal of batteries. Authorizes $5 million per year 2009-2018

Stationary Energy Storage Demonstrations
Directs DOE to carry out program of advanced energy storage demonstrations of integration with “self-healing grid , integration with renewable energy sources, optimization of transmission and distribution, peak load management, feasibility of microgrids or islanding.

Directs DOE to include wide range of stakeholders including MOUs, manufacturers, state energy offices, and institutions of higher education.Authorizes $30 million per year 2009-2018

Advisory Council
Establishes Energy Storage Advisory Council consisting primarily of energy storage industry representatives to be appointed by DOE based on recommendations of National Academy of Sciences.

Energy Storage Research Centers
Directs DOE to establish at least 4 Energy Storage Research Centers to translate basic research into applied technologies for vehicles, stationary applications, and electric transmission and distribution.

Clearly, this bill will accelerate the development of Plug Ins and energy storage in general.

There has been a lot of news too! Here are the ones that caught our eye:

Quantum's Fisker Joint Venture to Launch the New Fisker ...

Toyota Will Offer a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle by 2010

AFS Trinity Perfects Plug-in Hybrid Saturn Vue

2008 Detroit Auto Show: Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid

Volvo ReCharge Concept Plug-in Hybrid

DOE pledges $30M for plug-in hybrids

Ford, Toyota, GM get charged up for hybrid plug-ins

Race to develop plug-ins charges up

National labs examining impact of plug-in hybrids

NREL Explores Benefits of Solar-Powered Charging For Plug-in HEVs

Saturn first out of the gate with plug-in car

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China Plucky Plug In

2008-01-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

Even as the President of Honda says he doesn't think that Plug-ins make sense, a new car company in China announces their plans to build one and Hyundai says it is considering developing a plug-in hybrid car .

China's Plucky Plug-In Hybrid
BYD's car hits the stage at the Detroit auto show—but will it really be ready to roll this summer? by David Welch

In recent years, China's upstart carmakers have flocked to major auto expos with low-priced offerings aimed at global markets. This year's Detroit auto show, which opens on Jan. 13, will be little different. But this time around, one company, BYD Auto, won't just show the usual compacts and subcompacts. BYD plans to exhibit a plug-in hybrid, the F6DM (for "dual mode"), that it says will hit the market in China this summer.

Although the car won't reach the U.S. for years, if ever, it would be the first plug-in to be commercially available—allowing BYD to steal a march on General Motors (GM), which is expecting to launch the Chevrolet Volt in 2010. (more)

Meanwhile, David Sandalow, former assistant secretary of state and member of the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton, says the next president can succeed where others have failed. The trifecta of mounting concern about petroleum's impact on national security, the environment and the economy provides an unprecedented opportunity to radically reshape national energy policy, says Sandalow, who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. announces in his new book called Freedom from Oil:

How the Next President Can End Our Oil Addiction

By Chuck Squatriglia

WN: You place tremendous emphasis on converting our transportation fleet to electric plug-in hybrids. Why?

Sandalow: I believe electric plug-in hybrids are the most important part of the solution, but they're only one part of the solution. Oil provides 96 percent of the energy for our vehicles but only 3 percent of the energy for electric power generation. If we could connect our cars and trucks to this infrastructure, the potential for reducing oil dependence dramatically, and in a short period of time, would be incredible.

WN: What about the argument that cars fueled by electricity from a coal-fired power plant ultimately are as polluting as cars using fossil fuels?

Sandalow: If you plug a first-generation (PHEV) into a coal-fired plant, you would still be producing fewer heat-trapping gases than you would driving the average car powered by oil. But the real win is to plug these cars into renewable energy sources like wind and solar. (more)

Speaking of Washington, after 20 years of largely leaving fuel-economy standards alone, the U.S. in December enacted an energy bill that requires auto makers to boost the average efficiency of their new-vehicle fleets to 35 miles a gallon from 27.5 by 2020.

This all bodes well for plug ins.

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Super Charge It

2007-12-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

This has been a good week for new advanced battery announcements. Here is a big story from the Japanese electronic giant Toshiba:

"Toshiba have stunned the world with their announcement of what's pretty much the holy grail in Lithium battery technology – the Super Charge ion Battery, which recharges up to 90% of its energy in just five minutes, and has a lifespan of over 10 years. Slow charging has been the key hurdle to public acceptance of battery-electric vehicles as viable distance travelers, so this breakthrough has all sorts of implications for the automotive industry as well as being a very welcome upgrade to a whole host of other portable devices.

The first of Toshiba's groundbreaking SCiB packs will ship in March 2008 to an industrial systems market that Toshiba forecasts being worth 100 billion Yen by 2015.

There's no mention of when the technology is likely to hit the consumer market, but with such rapid charging ability, ultra-long life and high resistance to rupture and combustion, the SCiB looks like the first of a new generation of battery cells that will allow electric vehicle drivers to top up their cells in nearly the same amount of time a petrol vehicle takes to fill.

To this end, Toshiba is working on a high-performance version of the SCiB targeted at the automotive industry.

The development of high-powered, long-lasting, rapid-charge battery cells offers the automotive industry a simple and extremely efficient alternative to Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, whose competitive advantage thus far lies in their ability to refuel in a similar manner to petrol-powered cars. Batteries, it can be argued, are much more energy-efficient, delivering as much as three times more power from the electricity grid to the wheels as fuel cell vehicles are able to.

And thanks to the Energy Blog , here is another announcement from a consortium consisting of Misubishi and GS Yuasa.

GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announced that, effective December 12, they have formed the joint venture company "Lithium Energy Japan" to produce large capacity and high performance lithium-ion batteries.

GS Yuasa possesses advanced technologies in large lithium-ion batteries and is striving to broaden their applications. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Corporation intends to enter the battery manufacturing business and aims to create other related businesses as well. Finally, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is working to promote greater use of electric vehicles, which is the ultimate in environmentally-friendly automobiles.

Through the development, production, and sales of these batteries, the new company will demonstrate how environmental technologies can be incorporated into society and accelerate the use of these technologies as well, including electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and energy recycling systems.

Not to be out done, another battery called "Li-tech" has been developed by a consortium of German companies, including Bosch, BASF, and Volkswagon. Here is part of the story from Geek.com,

Li-Tech claims to have created a new lithium-ion battery, called Separion, that out-does the current offerings from the likes of Toyota and some French car makers.

What differentiates it from similar batteries is that the electrodes are separated by a flexible ceramic membrane that provides greater thermal stability, according to the German group.

Felix von Brock, director of German Akasol research center, commented, "It’s a true technological break … It is a crucial boost for the success of lithium-ion batteries … We think the first series of electric cars could arrive within five to 10 years. "

Meanwhile in the United States, General Motors has launched what it calls the auto industry's first design studio focused exclusively on electric plug-in vehicles. Its first order of business is getting the Chevrolet Volt on the road by 2010.

The E-Flex Design Studio will employ 45 designers, engineers and scientists to develop vehicles featuring plug-in hybrid technology.

The ambitious program offers the strongest evidence yet that the world's largest automaker is serious about its campaign to improve fuel efficiency, embrace hybrids and develop alternative-fuel vehicles.

So, as the Plug in Hybrid momentum continues, the technology "to make it happen" develops at an accelerating pace.

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V2G Test Drive

2007-11-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

This story is a month old, but it's an important one because it shows how utilities, car manufacturers, and government labs, coupled with innovative companies can forge an alliance that can test and demonstrate the practicality of plug in hybrids.

Xcel Energy announces six-month test drive

of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

DENVER - Six plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will be on the road by the end of 2007 as part of a demonstration test of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology by Xcel Energy. The goal is to determine how consumers can use the vehicles to significantly lower greenhouse gases, shore up electricity grid reliability and prove PHEVs are a viable alternative to today’s carbon-emitting cars.

The project, which will convert six Ford Escape Hybrids to PHEVs equipped with V2G technology so each can charge and discharge power to and from the grid, is one of the nation’s first real-world demonstrations of the emerging technology.

With operations in eight states, Xcel Energy will study how the vehicles perform in varied geographic regions and climates over a six-month period. Three company employees will serve as test drivers, using three of the PHEVs in typical home settings. The remaining three PHEVs will be used in the company’s fleet.

“With every U.S. home connected to the electricity grid, vehicle-to-grid technology could be key to meeting our growing energy needs,” said Michael Lamb, executive director of Xcel Energy Utility Innovations. “This project will allow us to explore how PHEVs can become an integrated part of a ’smart house’ and our vision of the smart grid energy system of the future - one that allows customers and utilities to work together to balance the power grid, lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve our nation’s energy security.”

Xcel Energy’s demonstration will build on its previous PHEV impact study by examining how drivers - and their vehicles - will react and perform in real-world settings. The project will explore the potential benefits of widespread PHEV use including: reducing petroleum-related emissions and greenhouse gases, enhancing energy security by reducing dependence on foreign oil, improving the reliability and cost-effectiveness of the electricity grid, exploring ways to make PHEVs more accessible and lowering vehicle fuel costs.

To make the cars V2G capable, each will be equipped with a V2Green Connectivity Module that controls vehicle charging, collects data and communicates via a cellular modem; and an Inverger (a 6-kilowatt inverter and charger in a single unit) from Hybrids Plus.

In addition, Hybrids Plus will replace the cars' nickel-metal hydride batteries with a lithium-ion phosphate battery pack. V2Green will also supply server software enabling remote control of smart charging and V2G functions.By outfitting the vehicles with these components, Xcel Energy can remotely control the battery cycles in each vehicle by requesting that each postpones charging or begins discharging energy back to the electricity grid.

The project is a joint collaboration between Xcel Energy; Hybrids Plus Inc. in Boulder, Colo.; V2Green Inc. in Seattle, Wash.; and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. (more)

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Here Come the PHEVs

2007-11-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

Audi Metroproject Quattro
This has been a big week of announcements from car manufacturers. One is from the new auto start up Fisker.

Fisker's high end-plug in
CNET News Blog
Posted by Michael Kanellos

Fisker Automotive. Think of it as a marriage between the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Roadster.

The company is planning to come to market in about 18 months with a high-performance, high-end, plug-in hybrid sedan. The car will cost $80,000. It will go about 50 miles on a battery charge, which isn't far, but the car will also come with a built-in gas engine that exists primarily to charge the battery. With the charging capability, the car can go hundreds of miles, according to Henrik Fisker, the company's CEO.

With a range of hundreds of miles, the car will go farther than other electric cars coming to market. The new electric cars go only about 225 miles on a single charge at best. Granted, Fisker's car uses a little gas--something electric cars don't--but it won't burn much. (clip)

Fisker also hopes to come out with SUVs and other types of cars. The drive train comes from Quantum Technologies, by the way. Quantum works with a number of companies and government agencies on alternative fuel vehicles. Initial production will be about 15,000 vehicles a year.

The company will show off a prototype at the Detroit Auto Show, according to the company's somewhat cryptic Web site. "

Fisker

And then there is a Chinese entry called the F6DM, thanks to got2begreen:

Plug-in Hybrid to Recharge in 10 Minutes

"BYD Automobile Company, a fairly new Chinesecar manufacturer owned by one of the world’s largest makers of cell phone batteries, plans to begin producing and selling plug-in hybrid electric cars in 2008 that can recharge in 10 minutes with iron-based batteries.

China will be first to receive the F6DM. Unfortunately, there are no immediate plans to release the plug-in hybrids in North America.The car will be priced at about 150,000 yuan ($19,966)."

And thanks to EV World, here is a new small sports car from Audi

The Tokyo Show isn't all about Japanese cars. As proof, Audi is poised to release the Metroproject Quattro concept, a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid four-seater designed to make life difficult for the Mini Cooper.

The Audi features a 1.4-liter turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder engine producing 148 horsepower and returning about 48 mpg. The kicker is a 30kW electric motor positioned between the rear wheels (which, in a truly inspired touch, is visible through a window in the rear load floor) that provides extra oomph (and all-wheel drive) under full throttle, or drives the car exclusively at lower speeds.

The car's lithium-ion batteries, which can be charged from a standard household outlet, will keep the Metroproject moving for about 60 miles.

The Metroproject also features another interesting concept — a suspiciously iPhone-like handheld unit called the Audi Mobile Device that plugs into a slot on the center console. It's a phone, an entertainment center, a remote vehicle-systems manager, a navigation-system interface, and a LoJack, all in one.

Meanwhile, also thanks to EV World, Misubishi showed off innovative electric sports car , the i-MIEV Sport. This cute and sporty beetle-esque electric car comes with optional photovoltaics for solar power, and will be powered by a pack of Li-ions that will allow drivers to go about 100 miles before needing to recharge.

While concept electric vehicles are released every year that never make it into production, this snappy little vehicle gives us hope for the future, because it will go into production in 2009.

And if that's enough, Shai Agassi has announced his intention to invest 200 million dollars to create an electrical infrastructure for all electric cars. His Project Better Place will install and operate an Electric Recharge Grid consisting of charging spots and battery exchange stations.

Momentum continues. Here at Plug in Partners we've added Oceanlink Energy Solutions, Energyrush TV ,and Green Gears for a total of 625 partners.

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The Cash Back Hybrid

2007-10-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Not that long ago, the idea that the transportation sector might actually provide energy back into the stationary generation sector was pretty much on the outside of the bell curve of acceptable thinking. Today the VtoG concept is a respectable topic in respectable circles.

Here's an example from Spectrum Online:

Can plug-in hybrid electric vehicles keep the electric grid stable?

By John Voelcker
First Published October 2007

Google, a former CIA director, the Natural Resources Defense Council, a U.S. senator, and the IEEE aren’t often found together in the same room.

But the promise of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) aligns the stars in unexpected ways. The result of their meeting on September 19th (“Plug-In Hybrids: Accelerating Progress”) is an early glimpse at a future with vehicles powered by electricity, emitting far fewer greenhouse gases than those of the last century—and playing a key role in the very stability of the nation’s electric grid. (clip)

The keynote speaker, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), plunged directly into the policy fray. “Many of us on Capitol Hill see the potential of plug-in hybrids,” Cantwell said, describing a bill she has introduced to encourage early production and purchase of plug-ins. It includes tax credits for consumers who buy or convert to plug-ins, tax incentives on tooling for carmakers who sell early models, and incentives for utilities to offer discounts for off-peak car recharging.

It also encourages utilities to upgrade to “smart grid” technology, allowing electric appliances to communicate with the grid and charge themselves based on real-time power prices.

Next up was Jon Wellinghoff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who coined the term “cash-back hybrid,” which clearly describes the benefit to consumers of plug-ins that not only charge themselves when demand is lightest and prices are lowest, but supply energy services to the grid as well.

Collectively, Wellinghoff proposed, the batteries in millions of PHEVs could provide five distinct benefits: lowering greenhouse-gas emissions, improving urban air quality, saving consumers money, bolstering power-grid reliability, and reducing oil imports.

How would those results be achieved?

By making the energy stored in plug-in hybrids an integral part of the grid, using a few percent of each battery’s energy storage capacity to meet peak demand rather than adding new generating capacity—and by paying consumers accordingly.

The notion is called vehicle-to-grid power, or V2G, and its workings, economics, and practicalities were the meat and potatoes of the symposium. (clip)

Clearly such a notion requires radical thinking. Whether consumers are ready to make that kind of leap—let alone the automakers or the electric industry—is open to debate.

But the ghost of Henry Ford was invoked, with his legendary quotation on responding to consumer demands: “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse.”

When consumers were asked about buying a Plug In hybrid, 27% said they would be likely to include plug in hybrid technology in their next vehicle.

In other developments, Odyne Corporation, a leading developer of hybrid electric vehicle technology and Dueco, Inc., one of the largest utility equipment manufacturers in the country, introduced another important step in the greening of the nation's utility companies, the first plug-in hybrid aerial lift truck.

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Ford, VW Ante Up

2007-10-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Momentum for a Plug in Future continues.

First, there is this story from Volkswagon. Apparently, VW is set to unveil an Up!-based minivan in Tokyo, followed by a plug-in hybrid sedan at Los Angeles. Since the goal of the Up! concept unveiled in Frankfurt is to give VW a low-cost, rear engine, affordable vehicle, both the minivan and plug-in hybrid should carry a meager price tag if they come to production.

However, if this announcement from Next Energy News is correct( and it apparently is not), virtually all of the major manufacturers are now moving into the Plug-In car business for real.

Ford to bring back ESCORT in 2010 with 100 mpg Hybrid

Next Energy News

Sept. 24. 2007

Ford Motor Company has embarked on a bold mission to bring back the Escort name in a revolutionary new Plug-in Hybrid vehicle.

The new Hybrid only vehicle will compete with the highly successful Toyota Prius which has established a loyal cult-like following since its introduction 7 years ago. The new Escort Hybrid is planned for the model year 2011 and to be introduced in the fall of 2010.

Ford believes a total from the ground up Hybrid Exclusive model is the only way to truly capture the growing market for Hybrid Vehicles since consumers have not fully embraced the idea of retrofitting existing platforms. (clip)

The System Ford has chosen is a single mode Hybrid instead of the Dual-mode Hybrid that is going to be offered by GM and Chrysler. The Dual-mode hybrid uses two smaller electric motors that assist the gasoline engine at different times in the acceleration cycle. Ford believes the Single mode Plug-in Hybrid system will be superior in the future with the introduction of“Super Batteries” now being developed.

Ford is invested in the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium and is focusing most of its attention on A123 systems nanophosphate Lithium-Ion batteries to reach it’s expected 100 miles per gallon target. A123Systems high power battery technology is based on new highly active nanoscale materials that are inexpensive, nontoxic, extremely stable (Non Explosive) and quick charging. The new batteries are expected to have a life of 10 years and 150,000 miles.

Ford is in race with GM to bring out the new Escort before the Chevy Volt hits the market in 2010. Alan Mulally, Ford’s new CEO, realizes that Ford needs tohang on to their perceived lead in domestic Hybrid technology first developed and introduced for the Ford Escape.

With the price of gas hovering around $3 per gallon and with Toyota Prius sales up 56% so far this year Ford now understands where the future lies, and they’re thinking Hybrid all the way. "

Meanwhile, in an unusual move, GM is already advertising its Volt. (See ad)

And, DOE has announced even more funding for Plug-Ins.

Here at Plug In Partners ,we now have 598 Partners, including 71 Cities, 35 Local Governments, 150 Businesses, 166 Public Utilities, and 10 Investor-Owned Utilities.

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Update: The Ford Story looks like it is wrong. See comments and read autoblogreen.

The Volvo Recharge

2007-09-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Another major manufacturer is unveiling their PHEV at a car show. This time, it's Volvo. Here's the story from duemotori.com.

"Volvo Cars is introducing the Volvo ReCharge Concept, a plug-in hybrid with individual electric wheel motors and batteries that can be recharged via a regular electrical outlet for maximum environmental benefit.

Recharging allows the car to be driven about 100 kilometres on battery power alone before the car's four-cylinder Flexifuel engine is needed to power the car and recharge the battery.

Volvo ReCharge Concept makes its debut in a specially designed Volvo C30 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. (watch video)

An electric motor at each wheel

The Volvo Recharge Concept combines a number of the latest technological innovations into a so-called "series hybrid" where there is no mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels. (clip)

The battery pack integrated into the luggage compartment uses lithium-polymer battery technology. The batteries are intended to have a useful life beyond that of the car itself.

Four electric motors, one at each wheel, provide independent traction power.

Four-cylinder 1.6-litre Flexifuel engine drives an advanced generator that efficiently powers the wheel motors when the battery is depleted. clip

With an individual electric motor at each wheel, weight distribution as well as mechanical efficiency and traction are maximized. The friction in mechanical gears is eliminated. Since the car does not have the transmission found in ordinary cars, there is no need for a gear lever.

To help maximize the environmental benefits, the Volvo ReCharge Concept has high-efficiency tyres developed by Michelin. They are specially designed to accommodate the wheelmotors.
Further more, the car has All Wheel Drive in the truest sense of the term. Power to each wheel is controlled individually.

The energy that is generated during braking is transmitted to the battery pack. When the system is ultimately developed, traditional wheel brakes will be completely replaced by electrical brakes with minimal energy wasted through friction. (more)

"There is a considerable difference between our plug-in hybrid and today's hybrids. Today's hybrids use the battery only for short periods to assist the combustion engine. Our solution is designed for most people to run on electric power all the time, while providing the extra security that comes with having a combustion engine as a secondary source of electrical power," says Ichiro Sugioka, project manager for the Volvo ReCharge Concept.

He adds: "What is more, our C30 with plug-in hybrid technology retains its lively and sporty driving properties. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 9 seconds and top speed is 160 km/h."

The Volvo Recharge, like the Volt, is a series platform car. Unlike the Volt, Volvo has not announced any plans to produce the car.

Meanwhile Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. announced it will cooperate with France's state-owned power supplier EDF in testing "plug-in" hybrid vehicles.

In the two-year test from this autumn, four plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid models will be tested on public roads with the use of recharging facilities around this French capital, to examine the usability of recharging and billing systems of the vehicles.

After tests in other European countries, Toyota plans to decide when to launch plug-in hybrid vehicles, company officials said.

In other developments, Google announced its RFP for plug-ins and other green transportation advancements.

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The 60,000 Volt Question

2007-08-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

If there is any doubt that GM is serious about PHEVs, here is one more story that indicates that they are indeed very serious.

GM Could Reportedly Produce 60,000 Plug-in Hybrids in 2010

Source: GreenBiz.com

by Jeff Green at Bloomberg

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 23, 2007 -- General Motors Corp. could reportedly produce up to 60,000 Volt electric cars in 2010, its first anticipated year on the market. Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, reported Wednesday that first year sales of the automaker's plug-in hybrid could quadruple that of the Toyota Prius' U.S. debut.

The car, expected to run 40 miles without recharging, will cost less than $30,000.

"If they were able to get 30,000 to 60,000 on the road in a year, it would be a huge leap in technology," Brett Smith, an alternative-fuel analyst at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, told Bloomberg. "It will be difficult, though, because there are so many barriers to making this happen."

GM Product Chief Bob Lutz is quoted in various newspapers saying he wanted to get prototypes of the Volt ready for road tests next year, and ready for sale in 2010. Selling 60,000 hybrids would be a coup for GM, which lost nearly $2 billion in 2006. That would make the Volt its best selling high mileage car behind the Chevrolet Aveo.

It took about five years for the Prius, which sells for about $22,000, to reach annual sales of 60,000, Bloomberg reported. Toyota sold 5,562 Prius models in 2000, when it was on the market for part of the year. Sales tripled the following year and topped 60,000 for the first time in 2005. They totaled 110,565 units this year through July, making the Prius the 12th-most popular vehicle in the U.S., according to Audodata Corp., a Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, company that monitors the industry. Toyota has sold more than 1 million gasoline-electric vehicles since 1997. more

The Volt is charged at a household outlet and uses an on- board engine to generate electricity when the battery runs down during travel. The engine, powered by gasoline, diesel or a hydrogen fuel cell, only recharges the battery and doesn't drive the wheels. Its full range is about 640 miles on a tank of gasoline, about double the range of a typical car or truck.

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The Plug In Scooter

2007-08-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Generally, when we talk about Plug Ins, we think about automobiles. And there has been some big news on that front in the last few weeks. Toyota has now moved to have a plug-in approved in Japan and will test them on California campuses. Meanwhile GM is actively moving forward on the Volt.

But there are other embodiments of plug in technology.

This one might become a real favorite.

Piaggio launches hybrid scooter

02 Aug 2007

Italian manufacturer Piaggio, the maker of Vespa, has launched an environmentally friendly hybrid scooter by mechanically and electronically linking a traditional combustion engine with an electric motor.

The new design, which has a working title of HyS (Hybrid Scooter), allows the petrol engine to work as ‘normal’, but whenever the rider needs to accelerate more aggressively, the electric motor kicks in, providing about 85 per cent extra performance. The grouping of petrol and electric provides significant reductions in fuel consumption and C02 emissions.

In this dual drive-by-wire type system, a sophisticated electronic management system interprets the rider’s request for more power, and selects the level of assistance based on the current level of battery charge. During deceleration, the battery is then recharged, which can also be achieved via a regular electricity source, taking about three hours.

As well as the hybrid set up, riders can also toggle between two other modes on a HyS scooter: electric and petrol. In electric, the combustion engine is completely shut down, and allows a range of up to 20km. “Scooters already enjoy a low environmental impact and soon owners will be able to further reduce their footprint on the earth,” said Piaggio’s Brand Manager Simon Gloyne.

“Our studies have revealed that potential owners want to do the right thing, but are reluctant about electric-only scooters due to their limited range and inability to take on fresh energy at the drop of a hat. The HyS models will enable owners to have their environmental cake and eat it too.”

Piaggio has already produced prototypes of the HyS, based on the Vespa LX and Piaggio X8 and three-wheeled MP3 scooter families. The HyS versions are visually identical to the standard scooters, with the batteries housed in the underseat storage space. There is a battery charge indicator on the respective dashboards.

Piaggio Australia is planning to introduce these new models, although a release date for the revolutionary HyS scooter is yet to be determined."

Plug In development is accelerating. And new ideas and partnerships are developing. GM is even considering renting its batteries.

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Stamp of Approval

2007-07-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

EPRI and the National Resource Defense Council have recently released a new study which shows the environmental as well as the economic benefits of plug-ins.

Plug-in hybrids seen as vehicles for change
A study projects lower emissions and sufficient power grid capacity.

LA Times

By Martin Zimmerman,

The widespread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles — which could be driven up to 40 miles on electric power alone — would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States without overloading the nation's power grid, according to a new study.

The upbeat news for plug-ins, seen by many as the next big step in environmentally friendly automotive technology, came with two caveats. Achieving the maximum air quality improvements would require a significant cut in the pollution produced by electric utilities. It's also dependent on large-scale adoption of plug-in hybrids, which may not be in new-car showrooms for several years.

Even so, backers of plug-in technology were heartened by the latest findings, which could help defuse the claim that the vehicles simply would transfer the source of air pollution from vehicle tailpipes to power station smokestacks.

The study "finally gives an environmental stamp of approval" to plug-in hybrids, said Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars.org, an advocacy group in Palo Alto. "It shows that even with today's power grid, plug-in hybrids are a great idea."

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The study released Thursday was conducted by two nonprofit groups, the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council. It measured how the nation's air quality would be affected under varying levels of plug-in hybrid use and pollution control at power plants.

According to the study, a marginal improvement in power plant emissions, coupled with ownership of plug-ins by 20% of U.S. drivers by 2050 — the report's worst-case scenario — would cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by 163 million tons.

Under a "middle case" scenario, which assumes plug-ins make up 62% of U.S. passenger vehicles by 2050 and utilities adopt more stringent pollution-control measures, emissions would be cut by 468 million tons a year.

That would be equal to removing 82.5 million vehicles, about a third of the light vehicles on the road today."The study clearly shows that the benefits from pluggable hybrids are greater if the power sector is cleaner," said Dan Lashof, science director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate Center.

The study estimated that a 60% market share for plug-in hybrids would tap only 7% to 8% of the electricity available nationwide in 2050. That finding jibes with a study released late last year by the Department of Energy that concluded that "the existing electric power system could generate most of the electricity consumed" by plug-ins. (more)

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Ford and Edison

2007-07-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison
Momentum for Plug-ins continues to build as two of the biggest names in transportation and energy meet.

It is a good example of how electric utilities and car makers can begin to work together.

Ford, utility join to promote plug-in vehicles
Reuters India
Sat Jul 7, 2007

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co and power utility Southern California Edison will announce an unusual alliance on Monday aimed at clearing the way for a new generation of rechargeable electric cars, the companies said.

Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally and Edison International Chief Executive John Bryson are scheduled to meet with reporters at Edison's headquarters in Rosemead, California, the companies said.

The two chief executives will announce a "joint initiative" that represents a first-of-its-kind tie-up between a major automaker and a major utility in the area of "plug-in" hybrid vehicle technology, representatives of both companies said.

Further details were not immediately available, but environmental advocates said the tie-up showed the momentum building for developing rechargeable hybrid vehicles as a way to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental advocates, particularly in California, have been pressing automakers to roll out such plug-in vehicles that would be capable of running on electricity for short distances and recharging at a standard electric outlet.

"I think they're all realizing that the handwriting is on the wall," said Sherry Boschert, a plug-in vehicle advocate and author.

Southern California Edison, which supplies power to some 13 million people in the area around Los Angeles, has been a vocal advocate for the development of electric vehicles and proposed tax incentives and rebates to speed their development.

SCE has said that its existing power-generation facilities would be capable of supplying millions of vehicles if they were recharged at night when demand is low. (clip)

The U.S. Senate last month approved sharp increases in fuel economy standards and is considering a package of tax credits for consumers who purchase plug-in vehicles and the companies that make them. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is one of the sponsors of that legislation. " more

"We see electricity as itself an alternative fuel in support of transportation," said John Bryson, chairman of Edison International, parent company of Southern California Edison.

Bryson said the collaboration will allow Ford and the utility to better see how technology that has been tested in the laboratory works in the real world. He said plug-in hybrids have the potential put the power grid to better use, for example, by charging vehicles in overnight hours when electricity demand is lower." more

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Recharge IT

2007-06-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Google proved it is serious about Plug Ins with its new Recharge IT initiative. Here is part of the story.

Google.org to to Accelerate Plug-In Hybrid

and Vehicle-to-Grid Technology

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google Inc. today announced the RechargeIT initiative that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and oil dependence by accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

As part of this initiative, Google.org awarded $1 million in grants and announced plans for a $10 million request for proposals (RFP) to fund development, adoption and commercialization of plug-ins, fully electric cars and related vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.

In addition, Google Inc. announced that it has switched on the solar panel installation at its Mountain View, Calif. headquarters, which will help the company reduce its environmental footprint and power its plug-ins with clean solar electricity. At 1.6 megawatts — and with an electricity output capable of powering approximately 1,000 average California homes — the Google project is the largest solar installation to date on any corporate campus in the United States and one of the largest on any corporate site in the world.

At today’s event, Google teamed with PG&E to demonstrate the bi-directional flow of electricity between plug-ins and the electric grid. “Clean energy technology can dramatically shift how we make and use energy for our cars and homes by charging cars through an electric grid powered by solar or other renewable energy sources, and selling power back to the electric grid when it’s needed most. This approach can quadruple the fuel efficiency of cars on the road today and improve grid stability,” said Dr. Larry Brilliant, Executive Director of Google.org.

The RechargeIT Initiative includes several elements designed to advance plug-in development and commercialization, including:

Grants: Google.org announced grants to the following organizations:

— Brookings Institution :$200,000 to support a spring 2008 conference on federal policy to promote plug-ins;

— CalCars : $200,000 to support its workto educate the public about plug-ins;

— Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) $200,000 to support its plug-in research and development program;

— Plug-In America :$100,000 to raise public awareness and advocate for plug-in transportation;

— Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) :$200,000 to enable RMI to launch the design of a practical plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, with additional support and collaberation by Alcoa, Johnson Controls, and the TurnerFoundation;

— Dr. Willett Kempton, University of Delaware: $150,000 for megawatt scale vehicle-to-grid research and implementation planning." more

Google also intends to to invest approximately $10 million in technologies and companies featuring plug in hybrids, fully electric vehicles, vehicle-to-grid capabilities, batteries and other storage technologies , and the application of renewable energy and fuels to green vehicles.

“Google is committed to using its resources to help solve the global climate challenge,” said Dr. Brilliant. “Google.org is a hybrid philanthropy, bringing together the active engagement of the broader Google corporation, as well as investments in for-profits, traditional grants, policy work, and public information.

RechargeIT brings together all of these elements to help accelerate progress on plug-ins. By demonstrating new clean energy technologies and how they can be connected to the grid, we hope to spur demand and encourage car manufacturers to make these vehicles commercially available on a large scale on an urgent basis.”

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Tata Takes On Air

2007-06-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

With all of the accelerated development in advanced batteries, most car companies are focusing on that technological track. Here is an exception from the largest car maker in India.

Air-Car Ready for Mass Production

Bob Ewig
Popular Mechanics
May 31, 2007

The world's first commercial compressed air-powered vehicle is rolling towards the production line. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, will be built by India's largest automaker, Tata Motors.

The Air Car uses compressed air to push its engine's pistons. It is anticipated that approximately 6000 Air Cars will be cruising the streets of India by 2008. If the manufacturers have no surprises up their exhaust pipes the car will be practical and reasonably priced. The CityCat model will clock out at 68 mph with a driving range of 125 miles.

Refueling is simple and will only take a few minutes. That is, if you live nearby a gas station with custom air compressor units. The cost of a fill up is approximately $2.00. If a driver doesn't have access to a compressor station, they will be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car's built-in compressor to refill the tank in about 4 hours.

The compressed air technology is basically just a way of storing electrical energy without the need for costly, heavy, and occasionally toxic batteries. So, in a sense, this is an electric car. It just doesn't have an electric motor.

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Unfortunately, the streets of North America may never see the Air Car, though; it's light-weight, glued-together fiberglass construction might not do so well in our crash tests. However, that does not mean the Air car (watch video) is confined to the sub-continent. Nègre has signed deals to bring its design to 12 more countries, including Germany, Israel and South Africa.

And this isn't the last we'll hear of the technology. The folks making the Air Car are already working on a hybrid version that would use an on-board, gasoline-powered compressor to refill the air tanks when they run low. Negre says that technology could easily squeeze a cross country trip out of one tank of gasoline. "

In other Plug in Partner News:

New York City Joins Plug-In Partners

In a March 22 letter to Austin Mayor Will Wynn, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg pointed out that New York City is “a leader in the use of alternative fuel vehicles, with the largest alternative fuel fleet in the country,” and added, “This campaign provides New York with a terrific opportunity to make further strides in improving its air quality.”

Bloomberg also said that “Integrating the use of plug-in technologies with the City’s already successful alternative fuel vehicle efforts will allow us to further improve upon our past successes, adding to our arsenal of energy saving, low emission vehicles that benefit all New Yorkers.”

Consumers voice desire for plug-in hybrids

Automakers are hearing consumer wishes for plug-in hybrids from a number of directions. A recent survey question asked by Toyota was: “In the future, what direction would you like to see hybrids go?"

The results, as reported in a pie chart in a company newsletter, were:
6% Higher power output.
18% Alternative fuel hybrid.
37% Higher fuel economy.
39% Plug-in hybrids.

Not only did plug-in hybrids top the voting, but plug-in hybrids can also address the second and third finishers as well. Plug-in hybrids will dramatically improve fuel economy by drastically reducing or eliminating gasoline use in the daily driving of millions and plug-in can be build with flexible fuel engines, further reducing the use of gasoline.

Demonstration Vehicles

Many partners have inquired about the possibility of obtaining demonstration vehicles. So far the possibilities are very limited although we may be able to report soon on some changes in the market for conversion of existing hybrids to plug-ins. At Austin Energy we recently converted two of the utility’s Priuses to plug-ins. We think this will be valuable in demonstrating that the technology works. Our focus, however, remains on persuading automakers to mass manufacture such vehicles by demonstrating a strong market for plug-ins.

Plug-In Partners goes international

At Plug-In Partners we have intentionally limited our efforts to the United States, figuring a national effort is enough for one utility. Recently, however, we’ve been getting international inquires. Our first international partner City joined last month, the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver was followed by British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA), a coalition of government and businesses in British Columbia. They join Canadian companies Veridian Corporation and Feel Good Cars as Plug-In Partners.

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Volt for Real?

2007-05-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

For those who think that GM is not serious about its new PHEV, the Volt, here is a piece that makes you think they are:

The Volt To Be Lutz's Legacy
May 21, 2007

So, I heard General Motors’ Bob Lutz on National Public Radio’s “Wait. Wait Don’t Tell Me” this past Saturday.The GM product boss said the vehicle he is most excited about, and the one he thinks will be the most significant for GM, is the Chevy Volt.

The Volt is the plug-in hybrid car GM showed at last January’s Detroit Auto Show.

The Volt, provided GM can get the lithium battery right, will go about 40 miles on an electric charge. At that point, the internal combustion engine kicks in and recharges the battery while you are driving. Imagine using your laptop computer on a battery. It runs down. You plug it in, and continue working. While you are working, the battery is also recharging. Apply that principal to cars, and that pretty much explains the Volt.

Given the fact that the car is not expected to sacrifice much in performance, and that is scalable to small cars, mid-sized cars and crossovers, no wonder Lutz is geeked about the Volt. Even he recognizes that the Volt will make historians forget about the (in my opinion) entirely forgettable Dodge Viper he concocted at Chrysler, as well as the 1000 horsepower Cadillac Sixteen concept car of a few years ago. The Volt will even make people forget that it was Lutz who gave us the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. Good, sexy cars and a great price.

But the Volt could be in a class by itself.

Yes, the Volt should be Lutz’s legacy. I know the Volt isn’t here yet. But I can’t help thinking that this technology will make the current crop of hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape look like Ford Excursions. Estimates vary. But given the fact that something like 75% of driving in the U.S. is made up of short trips well under ten miles round-trip, a growing fleet of vehicles that can do that on battery power instead of gasoline is a huge game-changer.

No. Make that a world changer. (clip)

Volt technology, combined with reforms at power plants (cleaner coal technology and more nukes to generate electricity) to provide the electricity represents a greener cleaner U.S. It’s hopeful to think that if the U.S. was marching in the direction, it would give America a lot of stick to go to developing countries like India and China and say…”We figured it out…this is the technology we all should be investing in to save the planet. more

If the Autobeat of Newsweek sees this, it looks for real.

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Easy as A123

2007-05-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most important milestone in developing Plug in Hybrids is the availability of an affordable, practical, and powerful battery pack. Here is a significant announcement by David Vieau, CEO of A123 Systems.

A123 Announces Standard Retrofit Module

Energy Blog
May 2, 2007

On May 1 in testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, David Vieau, CEO of A123Systems announced that they will be testing a standard production hybrid with a supplemental battery module filled with their current production lithium ion batteries, converting it to a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), in various fleets in 2007 and intend to market it nationwide in 2008.

A123Systems produces Nanophoshate based lithium ion batteries with a combination of power density, durability and safety in excess of anything mass produced on the market today.

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The battery module used to convert hybrid vehicles to plug-in hybrid vehicles will be certified to meet all applicable new car test standards and will be installed by trained mechanics in less than 2 hours. The module is small enough to fit into a vehicles spare tire well.

This module contains their current production battery cells and delivers enough usable energy for the vehicle to travel the equivalent of 40 miles on electricity, achieving as much as 150 MPG in urban driving and 100 MPG in highway driving.

This module is charged overnight from a regular 120 volt extension cord which plugs into the bumper. Since the average commuter travels under 30 miles per day, off peak nightly charging of this module both improves a utility's load factor and efficiencies while reducing total gasoline consumption and emissions dramatically. snip

At an initial 40 mile module installed price of $10,000 supported with a $3500 tax credit, the payback period for a fleet owner with $3.00/gallon gas is 2.5 years, against an expected life of 10 or more years.

The payback period for the average commuter driving 11,000 miles per year would be 5.5 years. These calculations place no value on the net reduction of approximately 100 tons of carbon dioxide and other emissions over the life of the vehicle and take no account of the cost reductions which could accrue from additional materials research and increasing production volumes.

The original equipment PHEVs due out early in the next decade utilizing even better batteries integrated directly into the vehicle at the factory will be more efficient and less costly. But there can be as many as 15 million standard hybrids on the road when plug-in volumes skyrocket from 2012 to 2017. more

In another important energy storage development Zenn has invested in EEStor.

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DOE Funds PHEVs

2007-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Department of Energy is moving forward to develop advanced batteries for PHEVs. Here is the story.

DOE to Provide up to $14 Million
to Develop Advanced Batteries
for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that it will provide up to $14 million in funding for a $28 million cost-shared solicitation by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) battery development. This research aims to find solutions to improving battery performance so vehicles can deliver up to 40 miles of electric range without recharging. This would include most roundtrip daily commutes.

“President Bush is committed to developing alternative fuels and energy-saving innovations for an improved and diversified array of vehicle technologies,” Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said. “By improving batteries for plug-in hybrids, we can help achieve the President’s goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20 percent within the decade.

This research builds on President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative, which aims to change the way we power our homes, offices, and automobiles. In addition, the President proposed his Twenty in Ten plan, targeting a twenty percent reduction in gasoline usage by 2017 through greater use of alternative fuels and increased vehicle efficiency.

DOE and USABC seek to identify electrochemical storage technologies capable of meeting or approaching USABC’s criteria for performance, weight, life-cycle, and cost. Other considerations include the potential to commercialize proposed battery technologies and bring them to market quickly.

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program leads the Department’s efforts to bring PHEVs to market and works with industry to develop advanced transportation technologies that will reduce the nation’s use of imported oil. The development of a lower cost, high-energy battery has been identified as a critical pathway toward commercialization of PHEVs.

USABC is a consortium of the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), the umbrella organization for collaborative research among DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation.

Supported by a cooperative agreement with the DOE, USABC’s mission is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support commercialization of fuel cell, hybrid, and electric vehicles.

A copy of USABC’s request for proposal information can be downloaded here. The submission deadline is Thursday, May 31, 2007.

Meanwhile, PG & E is showing off its V to G car.

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The Wall Street Journals

2007-04-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

A few months back, a reporter from the WSJ came to our offices.

Here's part of his story. The whole story is here.

In Quest for Cleaner Energy,
Texas City Touts Plug-In Car

John J. Fialka
Wall Street Journal
March 26, 2007

AUSTIN, Texas -- Of all the plans cooked up by cities to combat pollution and global warming, the one hatched here is among the most ambitious -- and, some say, one of the more quixotic.

Mayor Will Wynn is pushing a new version of the electric car called the plug-in, which runs almost entirely on electricity and has a big rechargeable battery. But that's not all. Mayor Wynn envisions the parked electric cars plugging into a network operated by the city's utility, which would then use the powerful car batteries as a big storage system from which to draw power during peak demand.

Roger Duncan, deputy manager of Austin Energy, the city-owned electric utility, dreamed up the scheme three years ago after the mayor ordered him to get more electricity from "green" sources, especially from wind. Austin Energy already got 6% of its power from wind, but wind production peaked at night, when electricity demand was low. Mr. Duncan needed more clean power during hot days, when demand was high.

If there were enough plug-ins around Austin, Mr. Duncan figured, he could buy more wind-generated electricity, sell it to plug-in owners at night, then buy some of it back during the day from cars sitting in parking lots equipped with special sockets.

With concern about climate change on the rise, interest in renewable energy sources is moving from the fringe to the mainstream. Some utilities will buy extra power that their customers produce by home solar panels. These days, seemingly far-fetched plans like Austin's are drawing a level of support that would have been unlikely just a few years ago.

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Mr. Duncan has found his most enthusiastic backers in the electric-utility business. Shifting some of the nation's vehicles from gasoline to electricity, these people say, would curb pollution and reduce reliance on imported oil -- and would make utilities more profitable and efficient. The Electric Power Research Institute, an industry group, has spent years researching and touting plug-ins, and supports efforts to use their batteries to store extra power. Utilities, which use thousands of vehicles, would likely be the first big buyers of the vehicles, the group says.

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Austin takes pride in both its environmental record and its quirkiness. Austin Energy's Mr. Duncan, 59 years old, once raised money for local antinuclear campaigns by producing concerts starring Willie Nelson and other local musicians. These days, Austin Energy is part owner of a nuclear plant, and Mr. Duncan considers such plants part of the solution to global warming because they don't generate the pollutants that coal-burning ones do.

The utility already uses more wind-generated power than any other major utility does, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. "This global-warming problem is so severe that we've got to use everything we have to fight it," he says.

Mr. Duncan concluded that plug-in vehicles would be especially useful in Texas, where wind-turbine "farms" in the western part of the state now supply the cheapest electricity. He figured he could sell the wind energy to plug-in owners at night, and during the day buy back extra power to help cool homes and office buildings.

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Auto makers haven't said when plug-ins will reach market, but Mayor Wynn says Austin's City Council has already set aside $1 million to fund rebates for the first 1,000 residents to buy plug-ins. The city intends to change building codes to require plugs in municipal parking lots, with Internet connections to Austin Energy. After that, the mayor explains, "we'll be able to start harvesting parking garages."

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Hybrid X

2007-03-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

Toyota created some excitement with their new Hybrid X vehicle that they unveiled at the car show in Geneva last week. It just might have plug in implications.

Here is part of their press release on the new concept car.

Toyota Unveils Hybrid X Concept
Source: Toyota [Mar 08, 2007]

Toyota presents a world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show with the reveal of Hybrid X, a concept car that proposes a new design language for hybrid models, while also acting as an innovative technology showcase for future generation hybrid cars.

Hybrid X is a vision for future environmentally friendly motoring. It fits clearly within Toyota's environmental strategy of offering sustainable mobility for modern families. Hybrid X further extends the use of Hybrid Synergy Drive® which is becoming an enabler for vehicle concept innovation and allowing Toyota to push forward to new frontiers.

Hybrid X is designed as a four-door, four-seat open-space concept.

Interior designer, Laurent Bouzige, says: "Hybrid X is conceived as a multi-sensory experience. There is a formal style in the shape of the vehicle and the material used but every other reaction is linked to the passengers' senses of sound, smell, sight and touch through interactive ambience."

The strongest form element of the exterior shape is the two shapes created by the massive upper glass frame area and the unconventional A and C pillars. When viewed from above this gives the impression of a vast X hence the name of the concept, Hybrid X.

The U-shaped pillars allow the general shape of Hybrid X to achieve a superior aerodynamic form, which is further enhanced by smooth surface lines and the integrated rear spoiler.

The drive-by-wire steering pad features a central screen that relays vital information to the driver about the energy flow path, fuel consumption and gear position. Interactive navigation and Bluetooth connectivity are provided by a second screen in front of the driver.

For now, it is clear Hybrid X is an innovative vehicle that conceives how Hybrid Synergy Drive® technology can deliver economical, cleaner and more comfortable motoring. It is a step closer to Toyota’s vision of the ultimate environmental driving technology and its design will influence the entire Toyota brand and its hybrid models in the future."

Whether or not this vehicle will become Toyota's plug in vehicle, Toyota remains mute.

However, it is clear from Toyota's previous statements that a plug in is on the way.

If it looks this good, Plug in Buyers will have a broad market of exciting vehicles to choose from in the not to distant future.

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