SOLUTIONS
The Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
A PHEV contains extra batteries that can be recharged by connecting to an electric power source. It incorporates 3 energy sources: a petrol or diesel-fuelled engine, the regenerative energy from braking or excess engine power, and electricity from the power grid. In all-electric mode, the driving costs are only 25% of those with liquid fuel like petrol.
Accordingly, remarkable liquid fuel economy [up to 150mpg] is a feature of prototype PHEVs. Air pollution, carbon gas emissions and dependence on imported oil are all reduced. To replace a national vehicle fleet with PHEVs would reduce both transport emissions and oil imports by 70%. Indeed, no fossil fuel at all is used during the all-electric range, if the batteries are charged from renewable energy sources like wind. A PHEV can be recharged at home using cheap rate electricity. It also provides emergency backup power for the home.
The proposed vehicle-to-grid or V2G system would use stationary PHEVs as the principal storage system for wind-generated electricity. This would overcome the issue of wind intermittency and make wind power a major fuel source for transportation [1, 2]. The first PHEV to enter large-scale production, is the Mercedes Sprinter delivery vehicle (2007).
Mercedes Sprinter PHEV
70 kW electric motor between combustion engine and transmission
1. American Solar Energy Society [2007] Tackling Climate Change in the US
2. Lester Brown [2006] Plan B 2.0