← Back to “Energy” main page
Page Outline:
Basic Facts
- According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Americans driving traditional gas and diesel powered cars and trucks pay around 12 cents per mile. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, run on a fuel that costs only 3 cents per mile.1
- By having a gas tank as well as electric batteries, a hybrid vehicle has the same range capabilities as a regular gas or diesel vehicle. Solely electric powered automobiles, however, currently have a limited range. After a certain number of miles, electric powered vehicles must be plugged into a wall outlet for several hours to be re-charged.2
Below are a few more facts about hybrids that can be found on the US Department of Energy’s FuelEconomy.gov website.3
“Some of the advanced technologies typically used by hybrids include…
Regenerative Braking. The electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain causing the wheels to slow down. In return, the energy from the wheels turns the motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy normally wasted during coasting and braking into electricity, which is stored in a battery until needed by the electric motor.
Electric Motor Drive/Assist. The electric motor provides additional power to assist the engine in accelerating, passing, or hill climbing. This allows a smaller, more efficient engine to be used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides power for low-speed driving conditions where internal combustion engines are least efficient.
Automatic Start/Shutoff. Automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it when the accelerator is pressed. This prevents wasted energy from idling.”
Plug-in Hybrid
Although not currently found at most commercial car dealerships, one type of hybrid vehicle that has generated much interest nationwide is the plug-in hybrid. After being plugged into a standard wall outlet for one night, a plug-in hybrid can run completely on electricity for the first x number of (sometimes as much as 40) miles.
After those initial x number of miles, the vehicle reverts back to a standard hybrid, running on a combination of gasoline and electricity. For many individuals with daily commutes not exceeding the x number of miles, lets say 10 miles, this could result in only having to fill up a gas tank every 1000 miles or so.
For those with longer commutes, the benefits of running on electricity for the first few miles might not justify the extra cost of a plug-in hybrid versus a standard hybrid. However, on days when a short trip to the store or a friend’s house is all that is needed, a plug-in hybrid car would not use any gasoline at all.
In the near future, plug-in hybrids will most likely run much farther than 10 miles after a one night charge. For the past few years, students at the University of California Davis have been building plug-in hybrids that can actually run for 60 miles on electric power after charging for one night. Currently, auto manufacturer General Motors is working to put plug-in hybrid cars on the market by 2010 (KQED Video).
Chevrolet Volt
The Chevrolet Volt, a General Motors plug-in electric hybrid, is currently scheduled to hit commercial markets sometime in 2010. According to GM, the Volt can run for 40 miles solely on electric power after only one charge. After 40 miles, the Volt will supposedly get about 50 miles to the gallon (Gilbert Video).
What Is Washington Doing?
IRS Credit Incentive
For the past few years, the IRS has been offering credits to individuals purchasing alternative fuel vehicles. For 2008, the IRS is offering a credit of $3000 to purchasers of Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner 2WD hybrids. The specifics can be found on an IRS webpage.
If you are considering purchasing a hybrid, it is important to know that the government has stated that after a particular manufacturer, such as Ford or Mercury, sells 60,000 hybrids, the federal rebates for that manufacturer will begin to be phased out.4
Department of Energy Research Grants
In late 2007, the US Department of Energy pledged $20 Million to the “development of advanced batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.”5
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
In addition to requiring automotive manufacturers to increase their standard fuel efficiency to 35mpg by 2020, this act provides funds for research and development of hybrid plug-ins. A possible downside to this act is that the 35mpg requirement is not something that applies to every vehicle being manufactured but to the total average mpg of all a manufacturer’s vehicles. Therefore, some manufacturers may introduce vehicles with high mpg, like the hybrid-electric, in order to offset the overall mpg average of the company. In other words, an automobile company could meet the 35mpg requirement and still manufacture vehicles with a fuel efficiency of 15mpg if it produced an equivalent number of 55mpg vehicles.”6
← Back to “Energy” main page
Sources
- “Hybrid-Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicles.” National Renewable Research Laboratory. 2008. National Renewable Research Laboratory, Web. 25 June 2008. ↩
- “Hybrid-Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicles.” ↩
- “How Hybrids Work.” Fueleconomy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Web. 25 June 2008. ↩
- “Qualified Alternative Fuel Motor Vehicles (QAFMV) and Heavy Hybrid Vehicles.” Internal Revenue Service. 23 April 2008. Internal Revenue Service, Web. 25 June 2008. ↩
- “DOE to Provide Nearly $20 Million to Further Development of Advanced Batteries for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles.” U.S. Department of Energy. 25 Sept. 2007. U.S. Department of Energy, Web. 25 June 2008. ↩
- Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.” Senate.gov. 21 Dec. 2007. Congressional Research Service, Web. 25 June 2008. PDF. ↩
