ACEEE NEWS RELEASE
Plug-Ins Promising—But Better Batteries, Cleaner Power Plants Essential
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
September 21, 2006
Washington, D.C.— Plug-in hybrid vehicles could contribute greatly to reducing automobile oil consumption and emissions, but reaching those goals requires major progress in key areas. According to a report released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the environmental and economic appeal of plug-in hybrid vehicles will depend heavily upon cleaner power sources and further battery advances. The report, Plug-In Hybrids: An Environmental and Economic Outlook, examines the benefits of plug-ins relative to today’s hybrids. It finds that greenhouse gas emissions reductions associated with a plug-in powered by today’s electric grid would be about 15% on average across the nation, ranging from 32% using California electricity to zero using Upper Midwest electricity.
Plug-ins’ oil savings could be quite large. Battery size and cost rise steeply with the amount of fuel savings, however, suggesting that plug-ins with modest electric-only range will appear first. According to report co-author James Kliesch, the “electric-then-gasoline” depiction of plug-in operation is not realistic and has contributed to overstatements of the fuel savings potential of plug-ins in the popular media. “Achieving adequate battery lifetimes and minimizing battery costs will require a vehicle control logic that turns on the internal combustion engine when extra power is needed, even within the ‘electric-only’ range of the vehicle,” said Kliesch. The ACEEE report estimates fuel savings relative to today’s hybrids of 30% for a plug-in with a 20-mile electric-only range and 50% for a 40-mile range.
With high volumes and a drop in nickel prices, the cost of the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in hybrids at present could fall quite dramatically. To reach an appropriate balance of size, weight, and power for a long-range plug-in, however, researchers’ bets are on lithium-ion batteries, which still need technological breakthroughs to reach commercial production for plug-in applications. Projections of long-term costs for plug-in batteries imply that the incremental cost of a plug-in could match that of a hybrid today.
“Plug-ins represent a major step toward the electrification of the transportation sector, a transition that has tremendous potential to help solve some big problems,” said report co-author Therese Langer. “But realizing this potential means maintaining an all-out effort on advanced batteries, cleaning up electric power generators, and adopting policies that drive efficiency technologies by requiring a sustained ramp-up of average fuel economy.”
Plug-In Hybrids: An Environmental and Economic Outlook is available for free download at http://aceee.org/pubs/t061.htm or a hard copy can be purchased for $16 plus $5 postage and handling from ACEEE Publications, 529 14th Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20045, phone: 202-507-4000, fax: 202-429-2248, e-mail: aceee_publications@aceee.org.
#####
About ACEEE: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, contact ACEEE, 529 14th Street N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20045 or visit www.aceee.org.
|
