The current US electric system has the capacity
to fuel up to 73% of American vehicles–if they were electric–without building another power
plant, according to a new white paper released Wednesday by Environment America, at the North American International Auto Show.
Doing so would require charging vehicles at night or using solar panels by day, the report states. And increasing America’s use of plug-in electric (PEV) and plug in hybrid vehicles (PEHV) would dramatically reduce emissions that cause global warming and air pollution and would curb our dependence on oil
However, the nation will need to clean up its electric grid to reap the full environmental potential benefits of plug-in cars. Some utilities; such as Austin Energy, a large municipal utility in Texas, are already gearing up for a future that includes large numbers of electric cars.
“Austin Energy is preparing to pilot several of the key recommendations outlined in this excellent report,” said Roger Duncan, Austin Energy General Manager. “We will be installing public charging stations, considering new voucher programs to set up charging in homes and partnering with local dealerships in anticipation of possibly up to 200,000 PEV light duty vehicles in the Austin area by 2020.”
Plug-in Cars: Powering America Toward a Cleaner Future answers many questions about plug-in vehicles and lays out a strategy for how to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road. It highlights data from existing research to show that electric vehicles can help to improve Americans’ standards of living. The key points of the paper include the following:
- Powering a car on electricity would result in 93% less smog-forming volatile organic compounds and 31% less nitrogen oxide emissions than powering a car on gasoline.
- If half of the light vehicles in the United States were electric vehicles powered by completely clean electricity in 2030, total fleet emissions would be reduced by 62%.
- If three-fourths of American vehicles including cars, pick-up trucks, SUVs and vans were electric, oil use would be reduced by about one-third.
- Operating costs of plug-in cars are likely to be significantly lower than those of gasoline-powered cars. Electricity costs three to five cents per mile with average electric rates, or the equivalent of $0.75 to $1.25 per gallon of gasoline.
“America’s current fleet of gasoline-powered cars and trucks leaves
us dependent on oil, contributes to air pollution problems that
threaten our health and produces large amounts of global warming
pollution,” said Rob Sargent, Environment America’s Energy Program
Director. “With the automobile industry in transition, we have a once
in a generation opportunity to transform our nation’s vehicle
technologies. We can do so in a way that reduces pollution and improves
our energy security.”
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