[getsmart-l] Hybrid & Electric cars: What is the environmental cost of plug-ins?

[Gloria Boxen]

I can see that an added attraction to running a car on
electricity is the avoidance of high gas taxes.

Gloria Boxen

http://www.wheels.ca/article/30393
Plug-ins won't save environment

Gerry Malloy
Toronto Star
Aug 04, 2007

There seems to be a "flavour-of-the-month" syndrome
when it comes to alternatives to the conventional
gasoline-powered vehicle.

Electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cells, hybrids, and
ethanol have all had their moment in the sun, only to
lose the spotlight to some other alternative
momentarily, then regain it again as one or another
promoter or lobby group successfully refocuses
attention on its chosen "solution."

The latest flavour-of-the-month – or several months,
to be more accurate – is the plug-in hybrid or EV
(electric vehicle), which can be recharged by plugging
into the electric grid, at home or at work or at
designated charging stations.

True believers have never given up on pure EVs –
electric vehicles that operate only on electric power,
stored in batteries recharged from the grid – and
various private parties have developed their own,
retrofit plug-in packages.

But it was General Motors' introduction of the Volt
concept car at the Detroit auto show in January that
focused mainstream attention on plug-ins.

In concept, a plug-in hybrid is a conventional hybrid
with a bigger battery pack that can be recharged by
plugging into the grid, as well as by an on-board
charger, thus increasing the range and/or speed at
which the vehicle can be driven on electric power
only.

With the Volt, GM took that concept one step further,
mechanically disconnecting its internal combustion
(IC) engine from the wheels so they are driven only by
an electric motor. The IC engine only drives a
generator to provide electric power to the motor, or
recharge on-board batteries, which can also be
recharged by plugging into the electrical grid.

While it is technically a "series hybrid," GM prefers
to call the Volt an EV with an IC-engine "range
extender." Depending on progress made in the
development of lithium-ion battery packs, it could
potentially be on the market by 2010.

Other automakers are also pursuing the plug-in option
as a supplement to more conventional hybrids. Just
this week, Toyota obtained certification for on-road
testing of a plug-in variant of the Prius in Japan –
the first plug-in hybrid to be so certified.

DaimlerChrysler already has a small fleet of plug-in
hybrid commercial vans in evaluation service in the
U.S. And Ford recently announced an agreement with
Southern California Edison to test rechargeable hybrid
vehicles in that state.

There is no doubt that the concept will work, in terms
of reducing gasoline consumption – if and when
suitable batteries are sufficiently developed to
satisfy the auto makers' strict safety, performance,
reliability, and durability requirements.

But other questions remain to be addressed.

For one, would the widespread adoption of such
technologies simply transfer the source, and perhaps
the type, of pollution from one form to another,
especially in jurisdictions such as Ontario where the
bulk of our electrical supply comes from coal and
nuclear sources?

For another, in jurisdictions such as ours, where
electrical capacity is already on the edge of
undersupply, is it really wise to add the significant
electrical load of electric vehicles in large numbers?

Proponents argue that EVs could be recharged at night,
when electrical load is typically lower – but would
they be? Always?

Besides which, that off-peak load is the primary
determinant of base-load generating capacity. Is it
really a good idea to put more pressure on base-load
capacity requirements, which are met largely by
nuclear generating stations?

It is not enough just to make the vehicles cleaner, in
my opinion. More questions need to be asked.

 
mgmalloy at aol.com