Volt Beats Tesla: Series and Plug-In Hybrids More Likely to be Game Changers
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Andrew Gilbertson who is a 2008 graduate of Vermont Law School.
A senior economist at the Argonne National Laboratory has come to an interesting conclusion: vehicles that rely on internal combustion engines are superior to electric vehicles in terms of what consumers would buy and what would save significant fuel.
Even though Tesla is delivering their cars to consumers several years before the Volt hits the show rooms, from the perspective of Dan Santini, you and I are more likely to get our hands on Volt-style vehicles first.
Some of the main obstacles that stand between us and pure EVs were identified at the 1st International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications, sponsored by the Argonne National Laboratory (where Dan Santini works).
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First and foremost, the cost of the batteries boost vehicle prices too high for the average consumer. Recharging time, coupled with the lack of a national system of quick-charge stations, would make the vehicle unattractive to most consumers who want the freedom to travel across the country without long stops for recharging.
The Volt, with its series hybrid design, reduces the importance of these two concerns. By relying less on batteries, the cost of the batteries becomes less of a factor, while having a combustion engine that uses an established distribution system as a backup gives the owner the freedom to drive wherever they want.
It seems to me that more car makers should read the writing on the wall and go the series hybrid route (apparently, some are).
Even though series hybrids might not get better mileage right now, it should be obvious that at some point an energy storage technology will be developed that will be cheaper, denser, and cleaner than gas or diesel. When that time comes, the car makers that can simply replace the combustion generators with the new storage technology will be way ahead of the ones who haven’t yet developed a electric drive system.
Posts Related to EVs, Plug-in Hybrids, and Hybrid Electrics:
- GM (Officially) Unveils the Chevy Volt
- Chrysler to Sell Electric Cars in U.S. as Early as 2010
- San Jose Wins Bid For Tesla Electric Car Facility
- “Producible” Chrysler Plug-In Hybrid: 0-60 in 4 Seconds
- Report Claims Every New Car Will Be a Hybrid By 2020
- Chrysler’s “Gated Community” Pea-Pod Electric Car
Image Credits: Tesla Motors and General Motors
Given that the Argonne National Laboratory is carrying out research into developing plug-in hybrid technology funded jointly by the US DOE and the Swedish Energy Agency, it doesn’t really come as much of a shock to hear they think plug-ins are the future.
Read it here:- http://www.transportation.anl.gov/
We obviously can’t replace every gas powered vehicle in the country overnight with no significant fast charge infrastructure. Fortunately, no one is proposing that.
We can start with people who will be more than satisfied with the capabilities of an EV, who are interested in reducing our dependence on foreign oil, reducing green house emissions and delighted to give up the inconvenience of going to a gas station to refuel. Since 79% of all travel is under 40 miles per day and virtually all travel is under 200 miles per day, that’s a lot of people. Nearly every household with two vehicles can easily replace one with an EV.
As the acceptance of EVs grows, there will be a market for fast charging stations. When that happens, they will appear instantly. This isn’t like building a hydrogen infrastructure, this is just adding some high-power outlets to existing facilities, without any of the hazards associated with flammable fuels.
I’ll bet a lot of hotels and restaurants will be willing to add an accessible outlet or two in order to get a Tesla Roadster to park out front. As EVs become more mainstream, the interest in providing power will increase.
Imagine skipping the trip to the gas station and breathing in carcinogenic fumes for the convenience of plugging into an outlet while you eat lunch. And that’s only on the rare long road trip. Other times, you plug your car in at night, just like your cell phone, and start every morning with the electromotive equivalent of a full tank of gas.
I challenge you to find an EV owner who doesn’t love their car and act as an advocate to anyone who will listen. I’ve only heard of one: a guy that tried to do a 74-mile commute in a first generation EV1 with a 75-mile range. Anyone who uses an EV with an appropriate range for their daily driving loves it.
There’s obviously an education issue here, but it seems to me that skyrocketing gas prices are going to open minds to a new concept in transportation.
Recharging an electric car only takes about 20 seconds. Ten seconds to plug it in at night, ten seconds to unplug it in the morning.
People somehow think they are going to sit there staring at the car while it’s recharging. Is that the way you recharge your cell phone? Heck no, you simply plug it in at night, unplug it in the morning. Most people don’t even know exactly how long it takes the phone to recharge, they don’t care because it doesn’t matter.
It’s actually more convenient to have the car charged up and ready to go every morning. How many times have you been running late to work, the boss has a meeting first thing, and you get in the car - “Dang!, I have to stop for gas on the way, now I’m sure to be late”.
The long charge time I think why they had to put in a engine generator so don’t to worry if you forget to charge up .
“Recharging an electric car only takes about 20 seconds.”
Oh? So if I’m driving from NYC to Chicago and my battery runs out halfway, I can recharge in 20 seconds? Of course not.
The only reason electrics work AT ALL is because there are so few of them. If a significant number of U.S. drivers (say 5%) bought electrics we would then run out of electricity to charge them. Can you say “blackouts”? Then the law of supply and demand would kick in and the cost of electricity would skyrocket and we wouldn’t be able to afford to run our air conditioners (this would kill thousands of seniors living in hot climates). Talk about unintended consequences!!
quote ” who want the freedom to travel across the country without long stops for recharging.”
You are assuming here that every American travels crosscountry everyday .WRONG .
Every American goes to work every day. 40> miles a day.
EV’s for this porpuse are well suited for the job. A++
Rent an RV for your crosscountry trips ! Cheers!
Indeed, the insistence on a battery-only drivetrain is what killed the EV1. Had the EV1 been done as a Volt-type hybrid, it would have been tremendously successful (and everyone would be driving them today, and GM would rule the planet.)
“If a significant number of U.S. drivers (say 5%) bought electrics we would then run out of electricity to charge them”
Another old wives tale. The Department of Energy did a report that said if 70% of all cars and light duty trucks were changed from Gasoline to Electrons that there would be no ill affect. (of course it will happen much slower)
Here it is:
http://www.pnl.gov/energy/eed/etd/pdfs/phev_feasibility_analysis_combined.pdf
the conclusion that, consumers would rather purchase a vehicle with an internal combustion is completely bogus as there are no reasonbly priced ev’s available. Most likely will not ever be available from the big 3 as they are completely in collaboration with big oil. also the fact that ev’s do not require very much after purchase maintenance and service gets into the wallets of the auto mfgs as well. The facts were recently truly stated by GM spokes person that the VOLT will only have projected sales of 250,000 units by 2015. that is TOTAL number for that time frame. the Prius sales will be easily that number/yr if not much greater as they are the only viable option out there.