Hybrid cars: Is plugging in always the best option?
A great highway car?In the past I have claimed the best hybrid cars are plug-in hybrid vehicles, and to a great extent, I still believe this to be the case, particularly if those PHEVs receive their electricity from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power.
Nonetheless, are PHEVs in danger of being over-hyped, at the expense of other technologies? Read more.....
Labels: Chevy Volt electric vehicle concept, Hybrid Vehicles, lithium battery, plug-in hybrid vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
10:13 AM
3 Comments:
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In the past I have claimed the best hybrid cars are plug-in hybrid vehicles, and to a great extent, I still believe this to be the case, particularly if those PHEVs receive their electricity from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power.
Nonetheless, are PHEVs in danger of being over-hyped, at the expense of other technologies?
For example, the Chevy Volt will be able to achieve, in theory, the first 40 miles using nothing but grid electricity, and even if you drive another 10 or 20 miles, the Volt could still average well over 100 mpg utilizing gasoline to create electricity to power the vehicle. If, however, you drive the Volt a couple of hundred miles, fuel economy could fall well below 50 mpg.
On the other hand, say for instance that a capacitor-assisted, lithium-powered Toyota Prius (not a PHEV) achieves 70 or 80 mpg, all the time, while costing $10,000 less than the Volt. Might this not be a great option for apartment dwellers, for highway drivers, for those on a budget, etc?
Might not diesel hybrids, when powered with biodiesel, be far greener than grid-powered hybrids?
Moreover, there are many problems with America's electric grid, and adding 100's of millions of electric vehicles to the grid will only make those problems significantly more apparent. Even without PHEVs, the call for a massive increase in nuclear power plants is gaining strength. PHEVs might just make those nuclear calls deafening, which makes me wonder, are all PHEV and EV fans nuclear power fans?
Nonetheless, PHEV's are definitely an important part of the solution to foreign oil dependency, for example. They are not, however, THE solution. Despite the fact that PHEVs have become a cause celebre, other hybrids could have a much bigger impact on foreign oil dependency and global warming, especially in the near term.
If Toyota, for instance, could sell a couple million 70 mpg hybrid vehicles per year, while GM sells 60,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles per year, it seems pretty obvious which company would be having a greater impact on the environment and foreign oil dependency. Fortunately, GM's E Flex drive could just as easily result in capacitor hybrids, not just plug-ins.
None of this means that PHEV programs should be put on hold or minimized, it just means that lithium significantly increases the potential of numerous types of hybrids. More important, we should be using this potential in the most cost-effective, quickest-to-market technologies, if the quickest impact is desired. Sometimes, the best technology just isn't the most effective technology if only a few can afford to purchase that technology.
Ultimately, the best hybrid vehicles might not always be plug-in hybrid vehicles. And that's just fine.
Is there a capacitor assisted Toyota Prius in the works? Would it get 70 or 80 mpg on the highway? No and no.
And how do you power the lithium ion batteries that powers the Prius and why do you need batteries if you have capacitors.
Also, I believe the Volt should get about 50 mpg when it's battery's power is being generated by it's i.c.e..
This is not your best article ever.
Actually, Domenick, there are a number of third party companies working on different types of lithium-capacitor combinations for both the Toyota Prius and other hybrids.
For example, Argonne Labs is testing capacitors in lithium powered hybrids. Maxwell Technologies is also working on capacitor-lithium hybrids.
In fact, ultra-capacitors could both increase lithium storage capabilities while delivering extra power. This is why Mercedes and Maxwell are working on a such a hybrid TODAY.
Volvo is also playing with the concept.
Is Toyota working on such a hybrid? I don't know, but I know for a FACT that a capacitor-powered hybrid is one potential derivative of GM's E Flex Drive. In fact GM has considered a vehicle, very similar to the Volt, as some kind of capacitor-lithium hybrid.
So, I guess GM, Mercedes, Volvo, Maxwell and Argonne Labs just don't get it either?
And yes such a vehicle could get 70 or 80 miles on the highway because you can use smaller battery packs and engines for example. Since weight is the key to fuel economy, anything that reduces weight while increasing power holds significant potential.
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