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

Thu Nov 19 05:53:13 UTC 2009

Thanks for passing this along.  They're coming.  I think there's no doubt 
about it.

Debbie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "michael townsend" <mrtownsend at optonline.net>
To: <quietcars at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:19 PM
Subject: [Quietcars] Electric Plug-ins? How soon can we see them and in 
whatquantity?

> 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
>
>
>
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