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June 22, 2010 in Opinion
Froma Harrop: Electric cars have rare political fuel
My magic wand is on the fritz, otherwise we’d have a big, new federal program to free America from its dependence on oil. Like other environmentalists, I’m sad that the calamity in the Gulf of Mexico hasn’t spurred Washington to more vigorously promote America’s exit from this curse.
The fault may lie with President Barack Obama’s timidity, a public scared by major new government programs or fossil-fuel interests flashing their campaign dough. Probably it’s all three, but the bottom line is this: An all-out effort to unchain America from hydrocarbons is essential to national security, a healthy environment and economic prosperity in the 21st century. But it’s not politically possible.
And so we must look at what’s passable. Fortunately, there’s one piece to the escape strategy that business leaders, military brass and the buying public all like – and would create jobs. Most importantly, it has bipartisan support in Congress.
We speak of electric cars, specifically the “Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010.” Sponsored by Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the bill’s goal is to electrify half of America’s cars and trucks within 20 years. That, its backers say, would cut America’s dependence on petroleum by a third. Similar legislation is before the House.
The Senate bill would name at least five communities to be models for electric-vehicle transportation. They would build stations where motorists could recharge their cars’ batteries. Residents would be offered a $10,000 tax credit to buy electric cars. And the federal government would put $1.5 billion into research for improving electric-car technology.
Electric cars don’t appear to be a very hard sell to those who would buy them. The first all-electric model, the Nissan Leaf, will hit the U.S. market at the end of the year. (The batteries will be made in Smyrna, Tenn.) But you won’t be able to just pick one up, because the year’s production is already sold out. More than two-thirds of the 19,000 preorders are from the United States.
The Chevy Volt will reach showrooms around that time. Its battery range of 40 miles is considerably smaller than the Leaf’s 100 miles, but the Volt has a small gasoline engine to keep the car going if a recharging station is not handy.
In any case, more than 75 percent of Americans commute 40 miles or less a day. That means most of them could plug in their Volts at the end of the day and drive off fully charged in the morning.
Being both an environmentalist and a fan of high automotive performance can be awkward. But carmakers are learning to put zoom into their fuel-efficient models. The Ford Fusion Hybrid, for example, gets 41 miles per gallon in the city, but can pull away from a stoplight at a respectable pace. “Sustainable mobility solutions” need not be as boring as they sound.
What about the source of the electric power? Although an all-electric vehicle puts out zero emissions, that is probably not true of the plant that provides the electricity. While California has moved its mix of electricity sources toward clean, renewable energy, other parts of America are still highly dependent on dirty, coal-powered plants.
However, electric cars cut global warming pollution even where coal supplies the power, according to a study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. That’s because cars plugged in overnight employ unused capacity in the current electric system.
So let the brawl over cap-and-trade proceed. Outside of the oil business, most everyone seems enthusiastic about accelerating a move toward electric cars. Nothing should stop Congress from revving up the process. Right?
Froma Harrop is a columnist for the Providence Journal.
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notrich on June 22 at 7:12 a.m.
the author should do some research. Tesla has been making and selling electric cars for a while now and is about ready to produce their second car which will be designed towards families.
washington state has already started hooking up charging stations. there is at least one company selling the charging stations.
IMO what our nation needs is for all the battery manufacturers to get together with money and research to produce the “best” battery, using little or no rare earth minerals. China has been trying to gather a monopoly on rare earth minerals so that they will be on top of technology and in the drivers seat when it comes to selling to other nations. Afghanistan has rare earth minerals which are not be mined. It will be interesting to see what happens there. Invest in Afhan money? or in the mining companies eventually involved?
Examples of battery research are:
An Oregon company is making lead acid batteries with nanotubes that allow quick charging and more energy.
A california univ. is researching batteries and capacitors made with paper and nanotubal ink.
MIT research developed lithium carbonate battery technology using nanotubes and sold licenses to two battery manufacturers.
Ultracapacitors may provide a solution towards electric power as well.
Fuel cells and the associated hydrogen storage are being sold and researched currently. A spokane company is selling this equipment.
Off the grid homes exist today via solar energy and other sources. EVs could be charged using alternative energy. Granted that most, if not all, alternative energy sources take oil to manufacture the parts, transport the parts,and maintain the parts…just as other hydrocarbon electric plants do. I’ve been using PV solar panels to power a refrigerator now for a couple of years. It might take five or ten more years to make up the difference between using wall power, but it is portable and having a cold spot for ice, food, and drinks is great for car/trailer camping– and no noise from a generator!
gotcha on June 24 at 11:48 a.m.
If Obama gets his Cap & Trade bill thru it won’t make any sense to buy one anyway. Elec. rates would skyrocket so what is the advantage of an elec. car other than to help aid in Al Gores global warming ?????