[Quietcars] Electric Plug-ins? How soon can we see them and in what quantity?

[michael townsend]

I'm a car nut, but a guide dog handler who loves to travel and loves
technology.  I read about hybrids and their effect on pedestrian travel and
how they effect all of us, whether we're blind or not.  I'm sharing this
from Motorweek.org in hopes that it raises the bar in your thinking about
the future.  Not suggesting any panic, but giving those who are narrowly
focused that this is the future of travel in some limited form, and that we
ought to know about it as guide dog handlers, cane travelers or
professionals in the O_M and guide dog fields.  

Mike T

Reality Check
John Davis
We've been hearing about the promise of plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles for
years-that
is, hybrids that can have their batteries recharged by simply plugging them
into
the electrical grid. A proper PHEV should use even less petroleum fuel than
today's
hybrids. But, while we've seen a lot of plug-in concepts, how close are they
to being
reality?
Most full or two-stage hybrid vehicles, like the Ford Escape and Toyota
Prius, can
operate for short distances-usually at low speed only-on pure electric
power. But
add a larger rechargeable battery pack into the mix, one that can be plugged
into
the electrical grid, and you can now drive that same vehicle for many more
miles
before the combustion engine ever starts.
How many miles depends on the capacity, or kilowatt hours, of the battery
pack-but
it's possible for one of these vehicles to peg well over 100 miles per
gallon with
little penalty in weight or lost cargo space.
Right now there are about 600 plug-in electric hybrid vehicles in the U.S.
Most are
converted from standard hybrids by one of a dozen or so small companies, but
nearly
every major carmaker has or is developing their own plug-in with an eye
towards near-future
production.
But decisions made now can have an impact 10 or 12 years down the road, so
engineers
and manufacturers are scrambling to include the very latest battery and
power management
technology into these vehicles before they commit to the mass market.
Jim Francfort, with the DOE's Idaho National Labs, is tasked with keeping
tabs on
over 200 PHEV's in a nationwide study to track how a variety of these
designs fare
in real-world driving.
JIM FRANCFORT:
 "We're tracking not just the concept, their design concept, but also the
overall
concept of plug-in. We're trying to find out: will people plug them in? Why
won't
they plug them in? How far they drive per charge, how far they drive each
month,
how many kilowatt hours. there's lots of interest in not just the individual
vehicles,
but the overall concept."
The DOE program cars are equipped with onboard data loggers, many of which
give real-time
fuel economy and system information. But it's not just manufacturers that
are looking
for this valuable feedback.
JIM FRANCFORT:
 "We actually have 75 testing partners. The majority -- probably the single
largest
segment are electric utilities, and there's lots of interest in the electric
utility
industry in what this will do."
Virginia Dominion Power has added two plug-in Prius hybrid conversions to
their fleet
of 1000 vehicles, which include biodiesel and clean natural gas vehicles, as
well
as traditional hybrids.
CHRIS GRIFFITH:
 "Dominion Virginia Power chose to do these two plug-in electric hybrid
vehicles
to measure the impact on the electric grid should the technology become more
prevalent."
It costs about fifty cents and five hours time, to fully charge one of these
Priuses
through a standard household outlet. But what happens when there's two
million of
them running around and everybody wants to plug-in at 5:00?
Small utilities like Dominion Virginia Power are looking ahead to answer
these questions
today, so they don't become a problem five or ten years from now.
The one fact that makes plug-in hybrids so appealing to consumers and
manufacturers
alike is that the electric grid is already in place from coast to coast,
unlike the
delivery and dispensing infrastructure that would need to be built for mass
distribution
of hydrogen or many other alternative fuels.
One manufacturer who's betting heavily on plug-in hybrids is Henrik Fisker.
His Fisker
Karma luxury sedan intends to be the first volume-production plug-in hybrid
vehicle
when it goes on sale next year.
HENRIK FISKER:
 "The upside of the market for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is almost
endless.
Almost every car company will have a plug in hybrid electric vehicle
eventually.
And that's maybe in 5, or 6, or 7 years down the line because they just make
so much
sense."
So, while viable plug-in hybrids are being tested on the road today, it's
fair to
say that battery technology has not yet evolved to where most manufacturers
would
like it to be. Still, the promise of plug-in hybrids is real.and that bodes
well
for a cleaner driving future for all of us.
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/autoworld.shtml
"I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself...but I think
I have
a right to resent, to object to, libelous statements about my dog."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Mike Townsend and Seeing Eye dog Brent
Dunellen, New Jersey  08812
emails:  mrtownsend at optonline.net; 
michael.townsend54 at gmail.com
Home Phone:  732  200-5643
Cellular:  732  718-9480