July 2010 Archives

What is a plugin hybrid car? First, it's worth defining an all-electric car: a car that runs on high performance batteries which store cleaner, cheaper, domestically produced electricity and use an emission-free electric motor. Next, we'll define a hybrid car as one that gets all its power from gasoline but utilizes electric motors and regenerative braking to extend mileage and create efficiency. A plugin hybrid by contrast uses pure electricity, like an electric car, for the first emission-free miles and then switches to gasoline to continue driving as a backup once that has been expended. Like a hybrid or pure EV, a plugin may benefit from regenerative braking and increased fuel efficiency from hybrid systems. Plugins are most efficient when used around town in pure electric mode.

Where can I get a plugin or full electric car? Unfortunately it has been very difficult to find an electric car in recent years due to resistance from major auto manufacturers and oil companies. Many believe that even though auto makers produced electric cars to meet California's Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate during the 1990's they did everything they could to keep those vehicles from being sold and actually confiscated and crushed thousands of vehicles. This action, despite offers of full cash payments for demo models from satisfied customers. This situation is well documented in the movie Who Killed the Electric Car. In 2005 as a result of a campaign lead by DontCrush.com Ford and Toyota agreed to stop crushing and sell some of their electric car models. Since 2006 when the Tesla Roadser first launched it has been getting easier and easier to find electric and hybrid cars as newer models including the Nissan Leaf are released.

How many miles can a battery powered electric car go between charges? An EV has a full tank every morning as it is charged overnight when electricity is in low demand and at its cheapest. The Toyota RAV4 EV has a range of about 125 miles on one full charge. The Tesla Roadster can go about 200 miles. The Tesla, like many newer EVs will be capable of charging at any electric outlet or EV charging station.

How many miles can a plugin hybrid (PHEV) go on electricity? Converted plugin-in Toyota Prius' have been built with the ability to drive on pure EV mode for 10 to 40 miles. The 2010 Chevy Volt, is set to have an all-electric range of 40 miles. After the EV range is expended the internal combustion engine (ICE) kicks in to recharge the batteries and power the car.

How long does it take to recharge the batteries of an electric car or plugin-hybrid car? Depending on the capacity and charger type electric vehicles can easily be charged to capacity overnight and within eight hours if they are parked at work during the day. Since electricity is cheaper at night many utility companies offer special plans for EV owners and those using solar panels for net metering. To search EV charging locations or request one near your house visit ChargePoint.net.

Is it expensive to charge an electric car? According to Electric Auto it takes less than $1 worth of electricity to fully charge a plug-in hybrid and just $2 to $4 to fill an all electric car. Tesla Motors reports an energy cost of approximately US $0.01 per mile using PG&E's E-9 night-time incentive charging which offers less expensive electricity during off peak hours. In addition, there are several methods for calculating the petroleum-equivalent efficiency with electric cars using an advanced formula.

How efficient are electric vehicles and plugin hybrids? Electric vehicles are the most efficient cars on the road. Using the Toyota RAV4 for comparison, the Gas version gets 21 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on highway while the EV RAV4 gets the equivalent of 125 MPG city and 100 MPG highway. These data points provided by FuelEconomy.gov. Depending on where and how electricity is produced EV's have the potential to become more efficient over time whereas ICE cars only get less and less efficient over time. By leveraging local wind and solar, less electricity is wasted in transportation.

How does a plug make hybrid cars better? Plugging in a plugin hybrid is like filling up with $0.60 per gallon gasoline! The great part of a PHEV is that you still have a gas tank attached for longer trips. There are many auto mechanics and kits out there offering to help convert existing hybrids into PHEV's and many of them don't even void the warranty.

Is Hydrogen a good solution for cars? Not really, it depends on how the Hydrogen fuel cells are filled. In Iceland where they use geothermal power to charge fuel cells it makes sense because the power is local and renewable. In most other locations Hydrogen fuel cell cars are 4x less efficient than EVs when the Hydrogen is produced from electricity and 1.4x less efficient when made from natural gas. Where and how will the hydrogen be stored? Who will pay the billions required for this new infrastructure? With plugin hybrid cars and EVs the infrastructure is already in place; the electricity grid.

What about the pollution created by making electricity? Aren't PHEVs and Electric Cars just moving the pollution? Actually, no. Emissions are lower for producing electricity than gasoline, even when using the grid in the United States which relies on 49% coal. Consider the process of drilling for oil, pulling it up, refining it, shipping it across the oceans the land and into pump stations. The electricity grid isn't perfect and energy still has to be moved but in many ways moving pollution a short distance away from population centers is a good thing for health and safety reasons. The US Department of Energy says that utilities have enough excess generating capacity at night to charge 185 million plug-in hybrid cars. While electricity is getting cleaner and more renewable every year, even the cleanest gasoline car becomes more polluting over time. An electric car on the other hand just gets cleaner and cleaner as the grid improves.

Can I charge a plug-in car with solar or wind power? Yes, the cleaner the power source the cleaner the car. Putting solar panels on your home or business makes even more sense with a plugin hybrid as the energy is produced locally so loss of power in transportation is significantly decreased. A distributed network of power creation is efficient, clean and more reliable than massive power stations. If you own an EV or plugin and install solar or wind power on site the investment will pay off faster and the car becomes truly zero-emission (beyond what it took to create and install the car, panels or wind turbine).

What can I do to support electric cars and plugins? Join the Electric Auto Association (the CleanTech Authority Network is an ongoing member), tell your local auto dealer you won't buy a car until it has a plug, sign the PluginPartners.org petition. Tell your friends to see Who Killed the Electric Car and watch it yourself, buy or make an electric conversion, visit EVFinder.com.