Mike Carrell wrote:
MC: Methinks you miss the point. Plug-in hybrids give the individual owner
an electric car for local travel with the safety backup of the IC engine.
Right. Actually, my only concern with this arrangement would be that I
drive such short distances the gasoline would remain in the tank unused for
months. I think gasoline gets "stale" after a while. Maybe from contamination?
It shifts a burden to the local utility, which may welcome increased
night-time
load to better use the capital investment in the generators and grid system.
Electric power companies are thrilled at the prospect. EPRI is promoting
this idea and investing in it.
It doesn't do much for the whole energy economy unless your house is powered
from a waterfall, wind farm or nuclear plant. If the grid generator is oil,
gas, or coal fired, you are still utilizing expendable, polluting fuels.
I disagree. First, about 32% of electricity comes from hydroelectric,
nuclear or alternatives. Second, only a small fraction of electricity is
generated from oil, and this fraction is declining. Oil generation peaked
in 1978 with 365 billion KWH out of 1,646 (22%). By 2002 it had fallen to
90 billion KWH out of 2,714 (3%). If most of the miles driven by cars were
powered by coal or uranium, OPEC's economic power and most of our problems
in the Middle East would disappear. Third, electric cars are far more
efficient overall than gasoline cars. Even if your electricity comes from
coal, which is the worst fossil fuel, you would produce less carbon dioxide
per mile of travel.
Sources: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2002, chapter 8; EPRI.
- Jed
