Full, assist, or mild? Extreme!
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TheCarConnection reports AFS Trinity Power Corporation today filed a patent for what they call an Extreme Hybrid™ car with an expected fuel economy of 250 mpg. The car will be a plug-in hybrid utilizing ultra-capacitors, run on gasoline or ethanol, and will have competitive performance. The car is expected to have sufficient battery capacity to run solely of the electric motor for the average American's commute of approximately 40 miles. For longer trips, the Extreme Hybrid™ will work as a conventional hybrid vehicle. The average American will only have to fill up their gas tank once every 10 weeks, but plugging in will be required on a daily basis. The car will have the ability to provide power back to the electrical network. The car is expected to be in the hands of fleet owners within two years, if sufficient funding is secured to develop the prototypes. While I applaud the effort, one thing I would like to see with all the plug-in hybrids is an honest mpg figure. It should be standard practice for every manufacturer of plug-in hybrids to account for the amount of electricity taken from the grid by calculating a fuel equivalent energy consumption. From a bigger picture perspective, where is all the electricity going to come from to power our cars?
[Source: TheCarConnection]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark Sumner 11:18AM (5/06/2006)
Sorry, but I think you're completely wrong.
The "equivalent energy consumption" is nothing but a way for the oil companies to "prove" that alternative technologies aren't worth chasing. The problem we face in the United States, and worldwide, is not a shortage of electricity, it's a shortage of oil. Further, electricity can be produced from many sources. Sure, in the US, half the power comes from coal (domestic coal, still so cheap that it undercuts all other sources), but it also comes from hydro, and from nuclear. What it doesn't come from: oil. Reducing gas consumption doesn't mean a drop of oil will be consumed someone else to make the electricity.
Pushing vehicle energy consumption onto the grid isn't just "displacing the emissions," it's taking our own transporation system into our own hands, and putting in place cars that can be fueled by clean sources without requiring a change at both ends of the system.
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Fred 1:13PM (5/06/2006)
I agree with you, Mark, electricity is not the problem. Oil is the problem. Our foreign policy around the world is warped by our voracious appetite for Oil, not electricity. While I would prefer some source other than coal for generating electricity, I can put up a PV array and generate all the electricity I need for my plug-in hybrid with almost no CO2 emissions (still have to manufactuer the PV array). In fact, that really should have opened the door for commuter electric vehicles.
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Bruno Vanzieleghem 4:59PM (5/06/2006)
At this point in time, oil is the problem. We should be looking at the bigger picture, which is sustainability. We can not produce sufficient oil domestically, be it fossil based or alternatives. But we can also not produce sufficient electricity in a sustainable way to power all our cars. If we want to make informed decisions, we need complete information.
From a consumer perspective, would you ever buy a car that uses very little gas, but an undetermined amount of electricity? I wouldn't, I would like to know how much my electricity bill will go up if I buy one of these. Just like a refridgerator with an Energy Star rating, I would like to know what my plug-in hybrids "Energy Star" rating will be.
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Ben A. 9:47PM (5/06/2006)
And a cursory web search yields...
?The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the average American drives 300 miles per week,? AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia said. ?Most days Americans drive 40 miles or less. At $3 a gallon, this costs about $48 a week for a conventional 20 mpg car and $36 if the car can get 25 mpg. The most efficient conventional hybrids get about 50 mpg which means $19 a week. By comparison, the Extreme Hybrid? will use less than $8 per week total for fuel and electricity.?
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"We can not produce sufficient oil domestically, be it fossil based or alternatives. But we can also not produce sufficient electricity in a sustainable way to power all our cars."
Why can't we?
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Earl 8:12AM (5/07/2006)
We can supply the electricity needed.Our grid is built out to supply the max daytime load required.During the night much of the generation is idle or running at much lower capacity.If you recharge overnight significant market penetration could be achieved before any additional generation would be required.
The increased dependence on domestically produced energy would be far more desireable than depending on the hostile sources of today.
Reducing emissions on one power plant is far more efficient than doing so on a million vehicles.Tilting towards electricity for fuel would spark a stampede of investment in newer,cleaner and far more efficient electricity generation and distribution assets.
It also provides for a distributed energy production system.Note that the story mentioned that the motor can put power back on the grid {net metering}.When your cars are parked during the day they can be generators.Other distributed assets could be solar roofs,fuel cells in basement,wind,etc.
Such a distributed system is less subject to terror and widespread outtages.With the advent of ensuing tech advances {nano,materials science,etc}relying on electric could be safer,cleaner, and amazingly cheaper.
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