Right Lane Cruiser
10-22-2009, 07:45 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Plug-ins aren’t stopping several automakers from rolling forward with all-electric cars. (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/10/the-business-of-plugging-in-hybrids-or-battery-only-electric-cars.html)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Nissan_Leaf_BEV.jpgEric Evarts - CONSUMERREPORTS (http://blogs.consumerreports.org) - October 22, 2009
How much range must an EV have to eliminate "range anxiety?" --Ed.
Whatever you've heard about the electric car, it is plug-in hybrids that will lead the way. That's the emerging consensus from the wide-ranging “The Business of Plugging In” conference in Detroit this week. As automotive, technology, and policy experts share their perspectives at this industry event, there is much agreement that plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are a necessary intermediate step on the road to pure battery-electric cars. Plug-in hybrids have one obvious advantage over other purely electric cars and some that aren’t so obvious. (See our test of the converted Prius plug-in.)
The obvious advantage is that plug-in hybrids have an internal combustion engine that eliminates concerns about electric cars’ limited range. You can drive a plug-in hybrid anywhere gasoline is available—even places without recharging stations.
The best-known plug-in hybrid coming down the road is the Chevrolet Volt. This sedan uses a large 16-kWh battery pack, and GM claims a 40-mile driving range on electric power alone. And it has a gasoline engine that acts as a generator to provide electricity to drive the electric motor for longer trips. The farther you drive it without plugging in, the more of the time you’re likely to run on plain old-fashioned gasoline, even though that engine does not send its power directly to the wheels.
Range anxiety
A study by the Japanese Ministry of Transport showed that when a fleet of electric-car drivers had only one charging station to use, they were only comfortable using just half their cars’ range. When a second station was installed at the end of those existing trips, drivers went farther and used virtually all of... http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/10/the-business-of-plugging-in-hybrids-or-battery-only-electric-cars.html
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Nissan_Leaf_BEV.jpgEric Evarts - CONSUMERREPORTS (http://blogs.consumerreports.org) - October 22, 2009
How much range must an EV have to eliminate "range anxiety?" --Ed.
Whatever you've heard about the electric car, it is plug-in hybrids that will lead the way. That's the emerging consensus from the wide-ranging “The Business of Plugging In” conference in Detroit this week. As automotive, technology, and policy experts share their perspectives at this industry event, there is much agreement that plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are a necessary intermediate step on the road to pure battery-electric cars. Plug-in hybrids have one obvious advantage over other purely electric cars and some that aren’t so obvious. (See our test of the converted Prius plug-in.)
The obvious advantage is that plug-in hybrids have an internal combustion engine that eliminates concerns about electric cars’ limited range. You can drive a plug-in hybrid anywhere gasoline is available—even places without recharging stations.
The best-known plug-in hybrid coming down the road is the Chevrolet Volt. This sedan uses a large 16-kWh battery pack, and GM claims a 40-mile driving range on electric power alone. And it has a gasoline engine that acts as a generator to provide electricity to drive the electric motor for longer trips. The farther you drive it without plugging in, the more of the time you’re likely to run on plain old-fashioned gasoline, even though that engine does not send its power directly to the wheels.
Range anxiety
A study by the Japanese Ministry of Transport showed that when a fleet of electric-car drivers had only one charging station to use, they were only comfortable using just half their cars’ range. When a second station was installed at the end of those existing trips, drivers went farther and used virtually all of... http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/10/the-business-of-plugging-in-hybrids-or-battery-only-electric-cars.html