PITTSBURGH, March 6 (AScribe Newswire) -- A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University report in a new study that some plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could help drivers save money while addressing global warming and oil dependency.
"When charged frequently, plug-in hybrid vehicles with small battery packs offer the largest reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, gasoline consumption and lifetime vehicle cost,'' said Jeremy J. Michalek, study leader and an assistant professor in mechanical engineering and engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles use battery packs to store energy and propel the vehicle partly on electricity instead of gasoline. "On average, electric power creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions per mile than gasoline in the U.S., and larger battery packs allow drivers to go farther on electric power. But batteries are expensive, and their extra weight lowers the vehicle's efficiency,'' said Michalek.
The study used computer simulation models to account for the weight and cost of plug-in battery packs. "We looked at a wide range of scenarios from fluctuating gasoline prices to new battery technology and carbon taxes. The core conclusion is consistent: For urban drivers who charge frequently - every 20 miles or less - plug-in vehicles with small battery packs sized for about 7 miles of electric travel per charge can reduce gasoline consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and lifetime cost. For those who can't charge often, large-capacity plug-in vehicles sized for 40 or more miles of electric travel will still reduce gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, but at a higher lifetime cost,'' said Michalek.
President Barack Obama has set a target of 1 million electric cars on U.S. roads by 2012. To meet that goal, industry experts estimate that automakers will need about $40 billion worth of domestically produced batteries. Battery makers are expected to get some of the $25 billion set aside last year under Washington's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program to speed the commercialization of green cars.
"Often new technologies are initially more expensive than established technologies. What's encouraging is that today's plug-in technology appears to offer some drivers the chance to save money while addressing oil dependency and global warming,'' according to Michalek.
About Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon is a private research university with a distinctive mix of programs in engineering, computer science, robotics, business, public policy, science and social science, fine arts and the humanities. More than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation. A small student-to-faculty ratio provides an opportunity for close interaction between students and professors. While technology is pervasive on its 145-acre Pittsburgh campus, Carnegie Mellon is also distinctive among leading research universities for the world-renowned programs in its College of Fine Arts. A global university, Carnegie Mellon has campuses in Silicon Valley, Calif., and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia and Europe. For more, see http://www.cmu.edu .
- - - -
CONTACT: Chriss Swaney, CMU Media Relations, 412-268-5776, swaney@andrew.cmu.edu
Media Contact: See above.
|
|
|
AScribe Newswire distributes news from nonprofit and public sector organizations. We provide direct, immediate access to mainstream national media for 600 colleges, universities, medical centers, public-policy groups and other leading nonprofit organizations.
AScribe transmits news releases directly to newsroom computer systems and desktops of major media organizations via a supremely trusted channel - The Associated Press. We also feed news to major news retrieval database services, online publications and to developers of web sites and Intranets.
And AScribe does it at a cost all organizations, large and small, can afford, a fraction of what corporate newswires charge. Click here to see how we do it