Philadelphia, PA—Increasing the use of plug-in electric and plug-in
hybrid cars in Pennsylvania and nationwide would dramatically reduce
emissions that cause global warming and air pollution, all while
curbing our dependence on oil, according to a new
white paper released today by PennEnvironment.
“Electric cars could be a game-changer in the effort to wean our
country off of oil and tackle global warming,” said Nathan Willcox,
PennEnvironment’s Energy & Clean Air Advocate. “Now, with the auto
industry in transition, we must seize this once-in-a-generation
opportunity to move plug-in cars into the fast lane.”
A “plug-in” car is one that can be recharged from the electric grid.
Some plug-in cars run on electricity alone, while others are paired
with small gasoline engines to create plug-in hybrids (which are
different than the Toyota Prius and other conventional hybrids common
today). Many plug-in hybrids can get over 100 miles per gallon, while
plug-in electric vehicles consume no gasoline at all. Plug-in
vehicles produce no direct tailpipe pollution when operating on
electricity, and as renewable energy sources like wind and solar meet a
larger share of our electricity needs, electric cars could create
little or no air pollution. The technology needed to build workable
plug-in vehicles exists today, and plug-ins have several advantages
over gasoline-powered cars including far less required regular
maintenance and no oil changes.
PennEnvironment was joined by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter,
Philadelphia City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, and Axion Power
International, Inc. in releasing today’s white paper.
“We are interested in exploring the potential contributions of
electronic vehicle technology toward meeting our Greenworks
Philadelphia goals,” said Mayor Michael Nutter.
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, who has been passing legislation
on the local level to promote cycling as a means of reducing automobile
emissions in Philadelphia, said “Plug-in cars can be an important piece
of the puzzle to lessening our carbon footprint. PennEnvironment
should be commended for putting this issue at the forefront of their
agenda.”
“If the goal is to significantly reduce emissions and US dependence on
foreign oil, the place to start is the automotive industry and the time
to start is now,” said Tom Granville, CEO of Axion Power International,
Inc, which is based in New Castle, PA and which manufactures the types
of batteries that power electric vehicles. “If the US follows a path
similar to what Europe is embarking on with respect to mandating CO2
reductions, resulting in inexpensive stop/start micro hybrid cars
coming to market, our future is indeed filled with the promise of a
cleaner environment and a stronger economy.”
The new PennEnvironment white paper, entitled Plug-in
Cars: Powering America Toward a Cleaner Future, answers many
questions about plug-in vehicles and lays out a strategy for how to
increase the number of electric vehicles on the road. Key points of the
paper include:
- If half of the light vehicles in the
United States were electric vehicles powered by completely clean
electricity in 2030, total fleet emissions of global warming pollution
would be reduced by 62 percent.
- Powering a car on electricity would
result in 93 percent less smog-forming volatile organic compounds and
31 percent less nitrogen oxide emissions than powering a car on
gasoline.
- If three-fourths of American cars,
pick-up trucks, SUVs and vans were electric, oil use would be reduced
by about one-third.
- Operating costs of plug-in cars are
likely to be significantly lower than those of gasoline-powered cars.
Electricity costs three to five cents per mile with average electric
rates, or the equivalent of $0.75 to $1.25 per gallon of gasoline.
- Utilities can structure electricity
prices so that it is cheaper to charge cars at times of the day when
there is lower electric demand, ensuring that a large number of plug-in
cars do not put a strain on the utility.
- Unlocking the full environmental and
economic potential of plug-in vehicles will require efforts to clean up
and modernize America’s electric grid. Pennsylvania and the country as
a whole should adopt renewable energy standards requiring that at least
25 percent of our electricity come from renewable energy by 2025.
PennEnvironment urged state and local officials to fully harness the
power of plug-ins by setting clean car standards, offering financial
incentives for buyers of plug-in vehicles, creating a low-carbon fuel
standard that allows plug-ins to contribute to lowering global warming
emissions, promoting renewable energy and adopting ‘smart grid’
technologies that would allow plug-ins to help stabilize the electric
grid. The group also called for a comprehensive federal energy and
climate bill to help drive support for plug-in cars.
“PennEnvironment urges the U.S. Senate – and Senators Bob Casey and
Arlen Specter here in Pennsylvania- to pass a comprehensive energy and
global warming bill that, among other key steps, encourages the
development and deployment of plug-in hybrids and other clean energy
technologies,” said Willcox.
