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Driving Directions: Getting There Green / Jim Motavalli
This is the first entry in what I hope will be a long-running series on greening the recalcitrant auto industry, as well as taking a close look at mass transit and other ways of getting where you want to go.
As I detail in my book Forward Drive: The Race to Build Clean Cars for the Future, the Big Three (and most of the international competition, too) have fought everything from catalytic converters to federal mileage standards, usually claiming that one more regulation would drive them into bankruptcy.
But it turns out that addiction to the profits from SUVs and light trucks has been far more detrimental to the bottom line. Today, Detroit is playing catch-up as Toyota prepares the third generation of its highly successful Prius.
I’m the editor of E/The Environmental Magazine, a frequent contributor to the New York Times “Automobiles” section, and a veteran auto columnist who’s excited by the possibilities not only of hybrids, but also biofuels, fuel cells and battery electrics. And in this era of oil shocks and climate change, I love to hear about new technology that will erode the tyranny of the tailpipe.
In October of 2004, at the annual Bioneers Conference in California, I was approached by the wiry and wiry-haired ball of enthusiasm that is Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars.org. Although I’d written Forward Drive in 1999 and predicted the market success of hybrid cars, the phrase “plug-in hybrid” was unfamiliar to me, but Felix made it sound like the wave of the future. “Sixty miles per gallon?” he said. “How about 100 miles per gallon?”
Until now, plug-in hybrids have been mostly homemade. Courtesy Calcars.org
The idea is pretty simple. Add extra battery capacity to a hybrid car and give it 10 to 30 miles of all-electric range, so that short-hop commuters need never use their gas motors. The automakers dismissed the idea at first, but now both GM and Toyota are committed to it, though no production dates are available yet.
On July 25, however, Toyota said it had received Japanese road certification for a prototype plug-in version of the current Prius, and would supply the vehicle to two branches of the University of California, in Berkeley and Irvine. With nickel-metal-hydride batteries, the prototypes are said to have an eight-mile range in all-electric mode. “We’ve been working for this moment since 2002,” said Kramer.
And now a new study from the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council says that wide use of plug-in hybrids could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by 450 million metric tons annually in 2050. That’s an effect similar to taking 82.5 million cars off the road! On the downside, another study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy points out that the advantage of plug-ins disappears in regions with coal-dependent grids, such as parts of the Midwest.
Toyota’s plug-ins are still just prototypes… for now.
Jim Motavalli is the editor of E/The Environmental Magazine and writes regularly on transportation for the New York Times. He lectures on environmental topics and hosts a bi-weekly public affairs radio show on WPKN. His articles have appeared in Popular Mechanics, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Boston Globe, Paste Magazine, Salon, Cars.com, The Guardian, Sierra, Vegetarian Times and many others.
Related articles:
Plug-In Hybrid Milestone
Four Facts About Plug-In Hybrids
Plug-In Car, Recharge Power Grid
What Jesus Would Drive, Part II
Google Plug-In Hybrid, Get Google
This writer isn’t very well versed on GM or Toyota’s status on their
plug-in development. GM head of Europe last week said point blank that the Opel version of the Chevy VOLT will launch late 2010 and
three days ago Bob Lutz said much the same thing : that the VOLT will launch 2010. And anyone who’s up on the latest auto news has known for at least a month that the batteries for the VOLT will be ready in time for the original GM
supplied launch date of 2010.
Toyota claims a launch date of 2008 or 2009, sinc ethey are doing a cobbled up version of a dual hybrid Prius by slapping in a bigger electric motor and some additional batteries. It’s an El Cheapo way to build an inferior plug-in.
Comment by Kerry Beauhrt — July 26, 2007 @ 2:21 pm
Jim Motavalli, the article’s author, responds to Kerry Beauhrt: you are “confusing vague and optimistic statements with actual production dates. They have targets, but are far from actual in-the-showroom dates.”
Comment by Tips Editor — July 26, 2007 @ 3:29 pm
Plugging in the Future With New Hybrid Cars
On July 25, Toyota said it had received Japanese road certification for a prototype plug-in version of the current Prius, and would supply the vehicle to two branches of the University of California, in Berkeley and Irvine. With nickel-metal-hydride ba…
Trackback by Anonymous — July 27, 2007 @ 10:00 am
Plugging in the Future With New Hybrid Cars
On July 25, Toyota said it had received Japanese road certification for a prototype plug-in version of the current Prius, and would supply the vehicle to two branches of the University of California, in Berkeley and Irvine. With nickel-metal-hydride ba…
Trackback by plantchange.com — July 27, 2007 @ 10:00 am
Thanks, Jim, for a great overview. At the “How Carmakers are Responding to the Plug-In Hybrid Opportunity” page at CalCars http://www.calcars.org/carmakers.html we track all the spokespeople’s statements, and we try to keep it up to date and accurate. (Some journaliists and the competing carmakers are counting on us!)
I did see a report from a few days ago that included comments from Lutz and reports that the company “hopes to sell 1,000 Volts by 2010′ — but that still fits into the category of hopes and intentions. Of course, things have been very busy recently, and if Kerry Beauhrt or anyone else can point us to any firm statements about dates, we’ll include those statements!
Comment by felixkramer — July 27, 2007 @ 1:59 pm
Jim tells us that he is, “excited by the possibilities not only of hybrids, but also biofuels” Currently the energy contained in 3 gallons of ethanol are used to produce 1 gallon of ethanol. In new plants that energy comes from coal. The energy to produce the corn is usually diesel.
Many people support ethanol because it is increasing corn prices but it is all based on subsidies.
Comment by b fearn — July 30, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
Hasn’t GM been reported to be threatening lawmakers to killing the VOLT unless they back off CAFE? Sounds pretty much like the VOLT is just smoke and mirrors for now… 8-(
Comment by Eddie — July 30, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
I wish that all of the bickering would stop and some leadership would develop at the national level to move us away from oil dependence. If we are “at war with terrorists” why are we still helping to fund them by buying oil? Why are we wasting limited resources? We need a national will to act in the best interests of ALL AMERICANS and not just special interests. We could accomplish so much if we truly turned our national will and efforts to it. I applaud those who are trying to move us in the right direction. Heaven knows (can I say that?) our “political leaders” are not doing it. But then do we have any real leaders? P.S. Let’s draft Colin Powell again, this time for President. How about a National write in campaign? God Bless and help America!
Comment by Bob — July 30, 2007 @ 4:21 pm
Is all of this discussion making your hybrid a plug-in wannabe? If so, please join my effort to make this a reality:
http://phev.wikispaces.com/
Comment by Matt — August 18, 2007 @ 11:11 pm
Bob is right on target. We are getting absolutely nowhere because of a lack of politcal leadership. As an ardent cyclist, I am always encouraged to see any mode of transportation that decreases carbon emissions. Some states have taken positive action where our federal government has NOT. Noticeble by exception is the state of NY, where a previously eco-friendly govenor just vetoed the use of the very environmentally friendly Segway: http://www.segway.com/blog/ . The overwhelming support in both the senate and the house call into question the governor’s real motives and his memo explaining his action is literally a joke: http://www.segway.com/downloads/pdfs/NY-Veto.pdf .
Actions and inaction by people in positions of key leadership continue to keep us dependent upon foreign oil — why? We need to make governor Spitzer and similar leaders accountable for such actions.
Comment by John K — August 19, 2007 @ 3:42 pm