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07.09

What Will Plug-In Hybrids Mean for America?

By John R. Platt

You've probably heard a lot about plug-in vehicles lately. President Obama has called for one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to be on U.S. roads by the year 2015, a move that would be supported by the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454), which passed in the House of Representatives last month. And the automotive industry is already getting into the act: General Motors announced it will launch the Chevy Volt, one of the first commercial PHEVs, next year, and Ford also has models on the drawing board.

But what you might not realize is that PHEVs are already on the road today, and that IEEE-USA has had a role in supporting this burgeoning technology.

What is a Plug-In Hybrid — and Why Should You Care?

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is similar to today's hybrid vehicles, in that it has both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. But unlike today's hybrids, a PHEV comes with something new: a plug. By plugging a car into the electric grid, drivers can power their vehicles totally through electricity, cutting out all but a tiny amount of fossil fuel use, which would only be tapped when battery levels are low.

As the country talks about the future of energy, two major challenges arise: reducing our consumption of and reliance upon oil, and protecting the environment. "PHEVs are a means of addressing both of those goals," says Gordon Day, 2009 IEEE-USA President.

"If you want to reduce oil consumption, you look at the transportation sector," says Day. "Two-thirds of all the petroleum we consume in this country comes from transportation."

The goal, says Day, is to reduce oil consumption at the vehicle, where it is harder to capture dangerous emissions. "You're not going to capture all of the CO2 from all of the vehicles in the country. You want to shift CO2 emissions, if we must have them, to point sources like power plants, where we can substitute the use of fossil fuels with renewables or have the opportunity to try to capture CO2 at point generators and power plants and then store it."

This will obviously impact the way people travel and live, but how will it affect high-tech workers like IEEE members? "If you think about PHEVs, what you're really talking about is electrifying the transportation sector," says Russ Lefevre, 2008 IEEE-USA President and Chair of the 2007 IEEE New Technologies Directions Committee. "This is purely speculation, but I would guess that it could mean an increase in jobs for people in the power and automotive industries and therefore our members.

"Beyond the IEEE, in a much broader sense, PHEVs are exciting on both sides of the political spectrum," says Lefevre. "On the right, they're viewed as important to national security, reducing dependence on non-reliable sources of fossil fuels. On the left, the idea is moving the transportation sector into electrical instead of fossil fuels, where you have a better chance of reducing carbon emissions and contributions to global warming."

IEEE-USA and PHEVs, Perfect Together

"Plug-in hybrids became interesting because both the Bush and Obama administrations have supported their development," says Lefevre. "It's kind of obvious why IEEE-USA, a policy organization, is behind them. If there's anybody in the country who's concerned about policy related to the technology, it's us. We've taken a strong position on it."

Toward that end, IEEE-USA sponsored the Plug-In Hybrids: Accelerating Progress conference in 2007 [www.ieeeusa.org/policy/phev] and published a position paper [www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/PHEV0607.pdf ]  on PHEVs which was distributed to many government officials in Washington.

The conference "was very successful," says Lefevre. "We had a number of keynote speakers, and covered topics like the hydrogen economy and the infrastructure necessary to get there. For plug-in hybrids, part of the infrastructure is already in place. All you need is an extension cord. We had half a dozen vehicles there for people to see and talk about."

The position paper also had an impact. "We use our position statements in a lot of ways," says Day. "Our PHEV paper been distributed and discussed with key policy makers on the Hill, and sent to every office, including energy committees on both sides.

"Other groups are putting out their own recommendations and have for half-a-year or more. There's not too much disagreement, except maybe on some of the emphasis. The groups are putting out similar statements, and that helps policy makers see consensus."

Two Senators Already Looking Ahead

So far, only two U.S. Senators are already driving PHEVs: John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).

Senator Kerry sponsored the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, which provides a tax credit of up to $7,500 to consumers for the purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle. He is now working on similar credits for two- and three-wheeled vehicles, such as electric scooters.

Kerry's family owns two hybrid vehicles, a 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and a 2009 Toyota Prius. The Prius was converted to become a PHEV with a battery from A123, a Massachusetts company.

"I'm a major proponent of hybrid vehicles," says Senator Kerry. "I own one, I drive one, and I've seen firsthand their environmental and economic benefits. The market is demanding new technologies in the auto industry, and Americans are demanding we finally kick our foreign oil addiction. If we're going to revitalize the auto industry and our manufacturing base, we absolutely need to get climate change right and build the green economy to include plug-in hybrids."

Sen. Lamar Alexander poses with his PHEV in front of the Capitol Building.

Senator Alexander also drives a Toyota Prius (pictured above), which his dealership converted to a PHEV, also with a battery from A123. He drives it whenever he is in Washington, and charges it at his home at night.

"I heard about plug-in hybrids at a hearing last year and I decided then to try to make it part of our Republican policy," Alexander said. "And I thought I better put my money where my mouth is, so I bought one. It's quiet, it's efficient, it's environmentally friendly, and it's a symbol of where we are headed in this country. It's also fun to drive, and I'm excited to be a part of something that I believe will help solve the problem."

Ok, What Comes Next?

"The current method of converting hybrids to plug-ins is costly, but it works and is proven," says Day. "As we move forward, there will be more stress placed on the electric grid, and we'll need plenty of places to plug the cars in."

"You're really thinking about changing the way the United States in general operates," says Lefevre. "This has rather substantial impacts on our ability to generate electricity. If you place the whole requirement to generate electricity on coal-fired power plants it isn't clear that you've helped the carbon problem. But if you talk renewables, you're talking about updating the electric grid. And if we go to substantial deployment of PHEVs, the way the country organizes itself is going to change rather dramatically."

You can read more about plug-in hybrids at Plug In America [www.pluginamerica.org] and the California Cars Initiative [www.calcars.org]. Discussions from the Plug-In Hybrids: Accelerating Progress conference can be viewed online here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flw8hnsFw_w

John R. Platt is a freelance writer from coastal Maine. He is a frequent contributor to Today's Engineer, and writes the Extinction Countdown blog for Scientific American.