Plug-in vs. Plug-in hybrid

CEO of nation's largest auto dealer gets behind the latter

Posted by Adam Browning (Guest Contributor) at 10:37 AM on 12 Sep 2006

Read more about: electric vehicles | cars | hybrids

"Who Killed the Electric Car?" conspiracies aside, why do I think plug-in hybrids will make it where strict plug-ins didn't?

Because, at a gut level, I think more people would buy them. Americans are congenital dreamers. No matter that most trips are under 25 miles. If the car purchase in question does not let you indulge in the fantasy that one day you might just take that road-trip to Jazzfest, wheels hissing on the wet moon-lit roads through the bayou, air heavy with frangipangi and Spanish moss; or a surfari to Baja, camping in the dunes and eating nothing but the fish you spear -- well, what's the point?

An electric car with a 200-mile range may get your groceries, but at the cost of cherished self-image. Practicality and reality have never been much of a driving force in purchasing decisions.

Just my opinion, which doesn't matter much in the scheme of things. But here's an opinion that matters a bit more: check out this op-ed from from the CEO of AutoNation, the nation's largest car dealer:

That brings us to what I believe will be one of the technologies that ultimately will address America's addiction to oil: the plug-in hybrid.

Next-generation batteries are significantly more powerful and can tolerate discharging and charging much more forgivingly than earlier versions. And that opens up the possibility of creating a vehicle that will deliver genuine benefits to consumers and society.

Consider an all-electric mode that has a 50-mile range before the gasoline engine kicks in. A vehicle that gets the equivalent of 100 mpg; can be fully recharged at night when excess energy capacity is available; relies on electricity produced in clean, safe domestic power plants; and delivers all the performance and comfort of a traditional gasoline-powered car without the damaging emissions or dangerous geopolitics.

That is a vehicle that I believe the American consumer will not just consider, but buy. We look forward to selling it.

For story: Plug-in vs. Plug-in hybrid
8 Comments | Post a Comment

Interesting

From the op-ed:

A tank of gasoline weighs 100 pounds and will drive you 400 miles. An automotive battery weighs 1,000 pounds and gets you maybe 100 miles -- if you don't turn on the air conditioning. Plus, the discharge and recharge process wears batteries out quickly.

That's a comparison that I haven't seen before. Just shows you what we're up against when we try to compete with "liquid gold."

by kmp at 2:30 PM on 12 Sep 2006

Yes but

that was with lead-acid batteries. Those days are gone.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 8:59 PM on 12 Sep 2006

Dump the standard hybrid

The plugin hybrid this car salesman is talking about has thousands of parts, the complexity of the internal combustion engine, transmission, added to a system that tells the electric motor when to run, the engine when to run, the electric motor when to brake.

It's a complicated, expensive to manufacture mess. Just packed full of computer chips.

There is a different kind. Still a plugin hybrid with the advantage of the range and easy fueling combined with the plugin electric efficiency.

It's basically an electric car, with lighter, quick charging batteries, that has it's own backup generator. No electric motor mated to an engine and transmission. Very little complication.

And there is a very good chance that the backup generator could be a fuel cell that gets 75% efficiency very soon now. Rather than the 14% efficiency of the internal combustion engine.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/08/pmls_inwheel_mo.h...

This one is small and expensive due to low production, but these principles could and should be applied universally. Dump the version the car salesman is trying to sell you. It's a mess.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 5:04 AM on 13 Sep 2006

You got it DRx

But let them take their baby steps. The EV1 is an example of what can happen when a company tries to leap too far into the future.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 8:07 AM on 13 Sep 2006

And then there's this...

From BMW:

BMW will roll out the world's first hydrogen-burning car in serial production early next year, the German premium automaker said on Tuesday, eager to put its stamp on cars with green credentials.
The specially equipped 7-Series executive cars emit only water vapor when running on hydrogen.
The car hits the market next April and will be shown at the Los Angeles car show in November, the company said. It had said in March the hydrogen cars would arrive within two years.
A spokesman said the car would be leased to selected customers rather than sold because of its high price. Leasing rates would be similar to those for a top-end BMW 760LI with a full-service package.
The BMW 7 Series Hydrogen 7 Saloon is powered by a 260 hp twelve-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.5 seconds. Top speed is limited electronically to 230 km/h.

by kmp at 8:20 AM on 13 Sep 2006

Good one Kaela!

I saw that on The Energy Blog. Come on, billionaires got to have a green ride too. Hehehey.

Christie Brinkley will be seen tooling around with a guy who owns one of these soon.

When guys like Trump start talking wind power, you just know that some sort of status based value shift is on the horizon.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 4:12 PM on 14 Sep 2006

Yes indeed

I think we have hit critical mass at last.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 4:26 PM on 14 Sep 2006

Google electric car conversion?

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/9/15/...

Now this IS good news. Maybe they will skip the over complication of mating electric and internal combustion via computer chips and transmissions and go right to the next generation.

Like that mini with the pure electric drivetrain augmented with a backup generator. Maybe a fuel cell/microturbine backup generator even! It's google, it could happen.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 11:29 PM on 14 Sep 2006

ADVERTISING POLICY

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.