Why Plug-ins?



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Why Plug-in Vehicles?

Transportation related greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for roughly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and at least 20% globally. In the US, over 60% of the transportation emissions result from gasoline consumption for personal vehicle use. We believe that plug-in vehicles capable of running on biofuels, in the form of pure battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, are the best near term option for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and reducing our dependency on fossil fuels.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles can achieve 70 -100 miles per gallon, quadrupling the fuel economy of the average car on the road today (~20 mpg) and doubling the fuel economy of a regular hybrid car such as a Prius (~45 mpg). For pure battery electric vehicles using no gas, it has been shown that they can deliver a miles-per-gallon equivalent (MPGe) of well over 100 MPG (see post on computing MPGe). A plug-in hybrid is different from today's hybrid because it has a higher capacity battery and the car can be plugged into a regular 120-volt outlet for charging. Because it is operating primarily on electricity for the first 20-40 miles, the car operates much more efficiently and uses dramatically less gasoline. Since more than 70% of Americans drive fewer than 33 miles per day, many plug-in hybrid drivers will not use any gasoline in their daily commutes -- but they will retain the flexibility of using the hybrid gas engine for longer trips. In addition, plug-in vehicles will often recharge at night using excess power from base-load power plants that are already running, so they won't generally add to peak electricity demand. Plug-in vehicles could also contribute to overall grid stability and help the penetration of renewable energy resources, as noted in this blogpost.

People often ask whether this won’t just shift pollution from cars to power plants, but even without adding any new power plants, the existing U.S. electrical grid has sufficient capacity to fully fuel three quarters of the nation’s 217 million passenger vehicles, assuming the average car drives 33 miles per day. This integration of hybrid cars with the electric power grid could reduce gasoline consumption by 85 billion gallons per year. That’s equal to a 27% reduction in total U.S. greenhouse gases, 52% displacement potential of U.S. oil imports, and $270 billion avoided in gasoline expenses (see http://www.ferc.gov/about/com-mem/wellinghoff/5-24-07-technical-analy-wellinghoff.pdf).

What has RechargeIT focused on?

RechargeIT is an effort within Google.org aimed at accelerating the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles and intelligent integration of these vehicles into the electric grid (for example, through smart charging applications).

Plug-in Hybrid Demonstration Fleet at Google:  We have created the GFleet, a free car-sharing program for Google employees on the Mountain View campus, which includes eight hybrid Priuses converted to plug-ins with a Hymotion conversion module. Google.org is demonstrating the capabilities of this technology while collecting and publishing actual data on the performance of these vehicles. (For information about plug-in performance, please see the RechargeIT driving experiment). This program encourages alternate forms of commuting by providing employees who come to work by carpooling, taking public transport, riding the Google shuttle, or self-powered commuting (bicycling, walking, etc.) with the ability to use a car during the day. This corporate car-sharing program enables employees who need to go to business meetings or run errands to avoid driving to work in a single occupant vehicle. This program is based on a partnership with Enterprise Rent-A-Car who manages the fleet.

Solar Charging at Google: We have connected Google's fleet of cars to solar charging stations on campus to demonstrate the role that renewable electricity can play in replacing gasoline and other fossil fuels in the transportation sector.Learn more about the solar panels at Google.

Strategic Grant-Making and Investments:  Google.org has made modest investments in companies and projects which will accelerate the commercialization of alternative transportation that reduces vehicle fossil fuel use and climate emissions. Check out our grantees and investees here.

What has RechargeIT accomplished?

There has been great progress in the area of plug-ins during the last several years, not the least of which is the fact that plug-in vehicles have entered the national discussion as part of the future of transportation. Almost every large OEM plans to bring a plug-in to the market in the next 2-4 years. Recently-passed federal stimulus legislation contains $2 billion for plug-ins and includes a U.S. tax credit of up to $7,500 per vehicle which is intended to spark the sale of up to 1.5 million plug-ins.

Where can I buy a plug-in vehicle?

Though there are currently very few plug-in vehicles available commercially, almost all major vehicle manufacturers have announced plans to produce fully featured plug-in vehicles within the next few years. A good resource for information on the status of plug-in vehicle production is available from Plug In America. Examples of upcoming plug-in hybrids include an offering from GM which is currently developing the Chevrolet Volt, a range-extended plug-in vehicle that will be in production in 2010. Toyota has also publicly stated that they will bring an extended-range plug-in Prius to market by the end of 2009. If you're looking for a nearer term solution, one option is to retrofit an existing hybrid vehicle using a plug-in module installed by a conversion company.