By George Mattar
Hybrid vehicles could reduce oil use in the U.S. by one-third, according to a report released Thursday. The downside to the hybrids is that they are more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles.
Are people buying hybrid cars and trucks to be chic, or to save on rising gasoline prices?
Whatever the reason, environmental advocacy group PennEnvironment of Philadelphia released a report Thursday - "Plug-In Cars, Powering America Toward A Cleaner Future" - endorsing the development of electric vehicles.
If cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and vans were powered by electricity, oil use could be reduced by roughly one-third, according to PennEnvironment spokesman Nathan Willcox, whose office released the study Thursday.
Plug-in cars aren't as prevalent as hybrids, which use a small electric motor and a regular gasoline engine to achieve higher miles per gallon. Most hybrids today, like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic, shut down when the car is stopped, for example, at a red light. This saves fuel and emissions. Motorists report highway mileage in the high 40s and near 50 mpg.
A plug-in car refers to a vehicle that runs on an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery. A plug-in hybrid is a car with both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Electric cars run entirely on electricity.
The sole pure-electric car about to hit the market is the Nissan Leaf. Capable of up to 100 miles on a single charge, the car holds five people and has zero emissions, according to Nissan.
The auto manufacturer will begin taking orders in the spring for the car which is expected to retail for $30,000. That cost may be reduced through federal or state tax credits or deductions.
The American-made car closest to reaching this goal is the Chevrolet Volt, which tests show can go 40 miles on a single electric charge, according to General Motor's Web site. The car is expected to go on sale in California late this year and is expected to retail for about $40,000.
The Volt uses a small gasoline engine to recharge the battery, but not power the car's wheels.
More than 40 recent studies show plug-in cars produce lower carbon dioxide than gasoline-powered cars. One study by the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that an electric car produces 27 percent less global warming pollution than a similarly equipped gas-powered car.
Another study done by the University of California shows that, if half the light vehicles in the country were powered exclusively by electricity by 2030, total emissions would be reduced by 62 percent.
The Northwest National Laboratory study also shows that powering a car with electricity would result in 93 percent less smog-forming volatile organic compounds and 31 percent less nitrogen oxide emissions, in contrast to gasoline-powered cars.
Environmentalists say the technology for plug-in vehicles exists today and has the following advantages over gasoline-powered cars:
--Plug-in hybrids that have been converted from conventional hybrids can go 100 miles per gallon or more;
--Electric cars can travel more than 200 miles on a single charge. One is the Tesla Roadster, which claims 250 miles on a single charge. It costs between $80,000 and $120,000, according to the Tesla Web site. Volkswagen is introducing a 230 mpg vehicle in 2010. And a three-wheeled car reminiscent of the German Messerschmidts claims that it will be capable of 330 mpg.
--Most plug-in cars can charge in a normal wall outlet and rapid chargers have been developed that can recharge a 100-mile battery in under 30 minutes.
--Electric cars are easier to maintain because they have fewer moving parts. Electric cars need no oil changes.
The down side is that plug-in cars are much more expensive. Over time, experts believe costs will go down. However the price of electricity may go up.
Currently, electrical power costs an average of three to five cents per mile. By contrast, if a vehicle gets 30 miles per gallon of gas, it would cost about $3 for a gallon of gas to go that far while electricity would cost between 90 cents and $1.50.
The Northwest Pacific study shows that America's electrical system could fuel 73 percent of U.S. cars, pickups, SUVs and vans without building another power plant if most of the recharging is done at night when there is less use of the grid.
The study recommends a public charging infrastructure. Consumers may be unwilling to buy plug-in vehicles if there is no place at shopping centers or on city streets to plug in their cars, the study warns.
The Clean Air Council of Philadelphia praised the report.
"Plug-in hybrids are great. I just hope people will buy them," said Executive Director Joe Minott. "We have to find policies to encourage people to get away from gas guzzling SUVs and trucks and lean them toward these new cars. It will be a two-fold benefit for us, the air will get cleaner and we will be able to lower our dependence on oil."
