Plug-in hybrid vehicles could help environment, maximize power
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080317/OPINIONS02/803170321/1091/OPINIONS
At his Ozarks New Energy Conference presentation, Jeff Davis, the chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission (Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's former chief of staff) had "plug-in hybrids" on his PowerPoint list of alternative energy items -- but had no time to talk about them. A plug-in hybrid is basically a battery-powered electric vehicle with a small back-up gasoline engine (or no gasoline engine). You plug in the vehicle when you park (e.g., at home overnight or while at work). No special gas or hydrogen stations are required. The vehicle plugs in like a lamp. Prius/Honda hybrids get 38-60 mpg; a plug-in hybrid would get 100 mpg (when using gas).
The range you need determines whether you buy an all-electric or a gas/electric plug-in. A tank of gas will get 300 plus miles in a regular car. My Honda hybrid will get 400 plus miles per tank. An all-electric vehicle will go (with existing available battery technology) about 120-140 miles. If lithium-ion batteries are developed -- predictions for plug-in hybrids are for the 300-500 mile range.
What are the advantages of plug-in electric vehicles? No noise, no muffler, no ignition, no pollution, no catalytic converter, no oil changes, no tune-ups. Seventy percent fewer moving parts than gas vehicles.
Who loses from plug-in vehicles? The car companies and the oil companies. Service and parts sales alone are about 12 percent of dealer revenues. Electric vehicles require little service and don't break. It turns out that Chevron (through subsidiaries) owns a controlling interest in the patents on the Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) battery (the best current vehicle battery technology). Chevron got its controlling interest from GM when GM decided to kill its electric car. Chevron's subsidiary later sued Toyota for patent infringement when Toyota tried to use improved NiMH batteries in its electric RAV4-EV. Chevron of course, knows that if plug-ins were in common use, oil company profits would go to zero.
Where is Silicon Valley? We keep hearing the Silicon Valley green millionaires are going to save us with electric vehicles. Where are they? Think of all the proprietary know-how which only the car companies have (called "homologation"): 5 mile per hour bumpers, air bags, how to build comfortable electric seats, where to put cup holders. Until an American car company is on the verge of bankruptcy and turns to plug-ins as its only alternative (or until produced by a foreign car company), you will never see a plug-in. Silicon Valley can't do it because of homologation.
Solar power and plug-ins. The capacity of the electricity grid is about 950,000 megawatts. It is estimated that if the available rooftops in the U.S. were solar-paneled we could generate another 700,000 plus megawatts of electricity with no pollution. Problem -- where to store that additional electricity. Cars spend most of their time parked. A plug-in hybrid's batteries would provide the storage capacity. University of Delaware academics calculated that if 26 percent of our light vehicle fleet was "vehicle to grid" (V2G) the U.S. could store more than enough solar energy to handle its summer-time peak air conditioning loads. Some analysts have concluded that a V2G car owner could make $3,000 a year selling power to the grid. For more details see "Plug-In Hybrids" by Sherry Boschert and pluginamerica.org.
CU's new power plant ... I also heard the Public Service Commission chairman say that Missouri once had seven coal-fired plants on the drawing board -- but now has only two. I suspect CU's is one of the two. Since we voted to increase our rates to build the new plant, there has been a tipping point of public awareness about climate change. Only Rush Limbaugh's fanatics (who hate Al Gore -- the John the Baptist messenger of climate change) aren't concerned about the consequences of putting more CO2 into the atmosphere. I think we should have power plant vote number three and then if we still want to raise rates lets spend the money putting solar thermals and solar panels on the flat and south-facing roofs in Springfield (for those that want them). It's our utility. Why shouldn't we all participate in generating its power?
Local Voices
Bob Sweere lives in Springfield.
At his Ozarks New Energy Conference presentation, Jeff Davis, the chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission (Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's former chief of staff) had "plug-in hybrids" on his PowerPoint list of alternative energy items -- but had no time to talk about them. A plug-in hybrid is basically a battery-powered electric vehicle with a small back-up gasoline engine (or no gasoline engine). You plug in the vehicle when you park (e.g., at home overnight or while at work). No special gas or hydrogen stations are required. The vehicle plugs in like a lamp. Prius/Honda hybrids get 38-60 mpg; a plug-in hybrid would get 100 mpg (when using gas).
The range you need determines whether you buy an all-electric or a gas/electric plug-in. A tank of gas will get 300 plus miles in a regular car. My Honda hybrid will get 400 plus miles per tank. An all-electric vehicle will go (with existing available battery technology) about 120-140 miles. If lithium-ion batteries are developed -- predictions for plug-in hybrids are for the 300-500 mile range.
What are the advantages of plug-in electric vehicles? No noise, no muffler, no ignition, no pollution, no catalytic converter, no oil changes, no tune-ups. Seventy percent fewer moving parts than gas vehicles.
Who loses from plug-in vehicles? The car companies and the oil companies. Service and parts sales alone are about 12 percent of dealer revenues. Electric vehicles require little service and don't break. It turns out that Chevron (through subsidiaries) owns a controlling interest in the patents on the Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) battery (the best current vehicle battery technology). Chevron got its controlling interest from GM when GM decided to kill its electric car. Chevron's subsidiary later sued Toyota for patent infringement when Toyota tried to use improved NiMH batteries in its electric RAV4-EV. Chevron of course, knows that if plug-ins were in common use, oil company profits would go to zero.
Where is Silicon Valley? We keep hearing the Silicon Valley green millionaires are going to save us with electric vehicles. Where are they? Think of all the proprietary know-how which only the car companies have (called "homologation"): 5 mile per hour bumpers, air bags, how to build comfortable electric seats, where to put cup holders. Until an American car company is on the verge of bankruptcy and turns to plug-ins as its only alternative (or until produced by a foreign car company), you will never see a plug-in. Silicon Valley can't do it because of homologation.
Solar power and plug-ins. The capacity of the electricity grid is about 950,000 megawatts. It is estimated that if the available rooftops in the U.S. were solar-paneled we could generate another 700,000 plus megawatts of electricity with no pollution. Problem -- where to store that additional electricity. Cars spend most of their time parked. A plug-in hybrid's batteries would provide the storage capacity. University of Delaware academics calculated that if 26 percent of our light vehicle fleet was "vehicle to grid" (V2G) the U.S. could store more than enough solar energy to handle its summer-time peak air conditioning loads. Some analysts have concluded that a V2G car owner could make $3,000 a year selling power to the grid. For more details see "Plug-In Hybrids" by Sherry Boschert and pluginamerica.org.
CU's new power plant ... I also heard the Public Service Commission chairman say that Missouri once had seven coal-fired plants on the drawing board -- but now has only two. I suspect CU's is one of the two. Since we voted to increase our rates to build the new plant, there has been a tipping point of public awareness about climate change. Only Rush Limbaugh's fanatics (who hate Al Gore -- the John the Baptist messenger of climate change) aren't concerned about the consequences of putting more CO2 into the atmosphere. I think we should have power plant vote number three and then if we still want to raise rates lets spend the money putting solar thermals and solar panels on the flat and south-facing roofs in Springfield (for those that want them). It's our utility. Why shouldn't we all participate in generating its power?
Local Voices
Bob Sweere lives in Springfield.
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