Plug-In Hybrids
EV button found on Japanese and European Prius
The "EV" button, found on the Prius in Japan and Europe, allows the driver to "encourage" extended driving in all-electric mode. Though intriguing, there is no evidence Toyota plans to produce plug-in hybrids.
How would you like to run your car for the equivalent of fifty cents a gallon with much lower emissions? Impossible, right?
Not according to Dr. Andy Frank, Professor of Engineering at University of California at Davis and Felix Kramer of The California Cars Initiative (CalCars). Frank and Kramer are leading a campaign to encourage the development of the"gas-optional" or “plug-in” hybrid (PHEV), which they claim will yield dramatic gains in fuel economy.
Just when the American public is finally starting to understand that you don’t have to plug hybrid cars in, here comes the plug-in hybrid. With the plug-in hybrid, you still will not be required to plug the car in, but you’ll have the option. As a result, drivers will get all the benefits of an electric car, without the biggest drawback: limited range. You'll be able to go all-electric for the ninety percent of your driving which takes place close to home. When the electric charge runs out, a downsized gas engine kicks in and your car drives like a regular hybrid.
Staying in Stealth Mode
Most hybrid car drivers enjoy keeping the car in all-electric “stealth” mode. Prius and Escape drivers can keep this going when the car is in slow stop-and-go traffic. Plug-ins would extend the stealth mode for the lion’s share of our local driving.
* A hybrid gets about twice the fuel economy of a conventional car
* A plug-in hybrid will get about twice the fuel economy of a hybrid
What are the naysayers saying about plug-in hybrids? And how do Frank and Kramer respond?
* The extra batteries will weigh too much.
Response: The extra weight of the batteries will be offset somewhat by the reduced weight of the gas engine. At high speeds in particular, fuel efficiency is affected primarily by aerodynamics—the added weight of the equivalent of one or two additional passenger reduces MPG only minimally.
* The extra batteries will cost too much.
Response: New, more powerful and cheaper NiMH or Li-Ion batteries will keep additional costs to only a few thousand dollars above today’s hybrids. Recharging will take place mostly at night during cheaper off-peak hours. Counting purchases, fuel and service, total lifetime cost of ownership will be lower than a gas car.
* Producing power from the grid (to charge the cars) will produce additional emissions.
Response: What the industry calls "well-to-wheel" emissions (including greenhouse gases) for grid-powered vehicles is far lower than gasoline, even for the national power grid (which is 50% coal). Cars charging off-peak will use power from plants that can't turn off at night. Plus, many parts of the country get most of their power from cleaner sources like natural gas and hydropower. Finally, plug-in hybrids recharged from rooftop photovoltaic systems will be zero emission.
Future Benefit of Vehicle-to-Grid Connection
Someday, the larger battery packs used in plug-in hybrids could juggle power back and forth from the car to your household current. If adopted on a widespread basis, a fleet of plug-in (a.k.a. "gridable" hybrids) could offer what are called "regulatory services" (keeping voltages steady, etc.) to a modernized electric power grid. It is estimated that what's called "V2G" could benefit individual car owners by as much as two to three thousand dollars per year for the use of their energy storage capacity—offsetting their purchase and operating costs.
