New Hybrid Cars Could Get 100 mpg, House Committee Told
By George L. Richards III
Washington - They were talking gas prices on Capitol Hill, and it wasn't $3 a gallon – it was 62 cents. And instead of 30 miles per gallon, some people were predicting 100.
Proponents of a new type of car, a plug-in hybrid, say it is more efficient than current hybrids and could easily achieve those numbers.
At a House Energy subcommittee hearing Wednesday on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, supporters argued the new technology could help free the country of its dependence on imported oil.
Current hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius or the Ford Escape, use both batteries and electric motors, along with gasoline engines. The gas engine charges the electric battery, which powers the car much of the time. Toyota says the 2006 Prius can get above 50 mpg, while Ford says the hybrid Escape, a sport utility vehicle, does better than 30 mpg.
President Bush, as part of his Advanced Energy Initiative, has set a goal of creating plug-in hybrids that are capable of traveling up to 40 miles on battery power alone. Most Americans commute less than 40 miles a day.
Plug-in hybrids have larger batteries, which can be charged
overnight using an ordinary electric outlet. Gasoline is a
secondary fuel, used only when the battery runs down. Instead of using both battery power and gasoline at the same time, a vehicle may not have to consume gasoline at all.
This moves energy consumption from the gasoline tank to the
electric grid and emissions from the tailpipe to the power
plant and should lower the overall cost of driving.
Rep. Brad Sherman, R-Calif., estimated that would lower the
average price of a gallon of gas to 62 cents.
"The last time gas was that low I had hair," he joked.
Reps. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., were
at the hearing to promote their bill, Fuel Choices for
American Security Act of 2005. The bill would set a goal
of cutting oil use by 20 percent in 20 years, redesigning
the way the federal government calculates fuel use, giving
consumers incentives to buy hybrids and developing better
alternate fuels, including ethanol and other grain or
waste-product fuels.
Kingston said he is willing to compromise. "We will not
allow perfection to prevent progress," he said.
After the hearing, committee members took a ride in one
of two Toyota prototype plug-in hybrids on display outside.
Andrew Frank, director of the University of California-Davis'Hybrid Vehicle Research Center, told the committee it is a challenge to find a battery that can meet expectations. He said more research and road testing are necessary.
"A plug-in hybrid relies on the battery. The better the
battery, the better the car," explained Mark Duvall, of
the Electric Power Research Institute.
John German, manager of environmental and energy analyses
for American Honda Motor Co., added, "The extra batteries
add 175 to 500 pounds to the vehicle, which decreases
performance, and it is difficult to find space for the
extra batteries without detracting from the utility of
the vehicle."
Duvall said that number might be too small.
"With today's technology, the battery would easily weigh over 600 pounds," he said adding, "It would take one to two hours for a full charge."
Rep. Michael M. Honda, D-Calif., said plug-in hybrids might
place a strain on power grids, requiring new power plants.
"I fear we would just be shifting our addiction from one
petrochemical to another," he said.
Source: Scripps Howard Foundation
|