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Will electricity power cars of the future?
High-performance electric sports car Tesla Roadster
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KAI RYSSDAL: Had you been wondering what's going to power cars in a post-oil world you can go ahead and cross hydrogen right off that list. Earlier this week the Department of Energy pulled the plug on hydrogen fuel-cell research. Ethanol is another contender for top alternative auto fuel. But a study in yesterday's Science magazine says despite the billions in government subsidies that ethanol fuel gets, it's really not all that efficient. Which leaves us with No. 3 on the list: Electricity. From the Marketplace Sustainability Desk, Jennifer Collins reports.
Jennifer Collins: Before we can pick a car of the future, we have to figure how we're going to distribute its fuel. Tesla motors is hoping it's picked a winner with electric cars. Diarmuid O'Connell is a vice president with the company. He says the electric grid is far closer to being able to power cars now. Any other type of fuel would need a new distribution system.
Diarmuid O'Connell: Something like a 50 percent conversion tomorrow into electric fuel electric or plug in hybrids would not unduly burden the current electric grid.
But experts say it also matters how you produce that electricity. An electric car's not all that green if it's getting its power from coal fired plants. There are other issues too: Electric cars are expensive and often have a limited driving range. But O'Connell says they'll soon have a less expensive sedan on the market.
O'Connell: The Model S, after the federal tax credit, will price at $49,900.
David Friedman at the Union of Concern Scientists says don't go out and buy a Tesla just yet. He's cautious about picking a winning fuel now.
David Friedman: Anyone who tells you that the answer is plug-ins or battery electric vehicles or fuel cell vehicles or biofuels, probably is trying to sell you one of them.
Friedman says he hopes the government will fund research for several new kinds of cars and distribution systems. Then, he says, we should let consumers choose the cheapest, cleanest and most fuel-efficient way of getting around town.
I'm Jennifer Collins for Marketplace.
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The comments about the fuel cell cars being almost ready are laughable. This is the technology the auto industry told California's regulators was almost ready in 2003 when they were trying to kill the battery electric vehicles. Here we are 6 years later and worldwide, there are no more than a few hundred FCVs.
In the meantime, I'm still driving the EV Toyota sold me in 2002. I've got 70,000 miles on it and every mile was driven on sunlight-generated electricity. BTW, my EV still runs exactly the same as the day I got it. We've needed virtually no maintenance or repairs.
Batteries today are much better than the batteries that I use. Every car maker in the world is racing to get their plug-in cars to market with Tesla already on the roads.
Only Toyota, Honda and GM still have any kind of a fuel cell program, and now that the federal tit has run dry, we'll see those programs vanish quietly.
Almost all discussion about electric cars has missed the major point: it's not about the distribution system, it's about the disposal system. No matter how long the battery lasts, it is still toxic material for disposal. If we can't recycle it, how is this an improvement?
None of these vehicles are commercial. Fuel cell vehicles are very close to it, both stations and cars. Plug-in vehicles are the Tesla and a few prototypes. Fast chargers are on the drawing board. I simply don't understand ending the funding for something that's close to being ready for market!
Nothing is final. Capitalism is flourishing, in spite of the times we are in. Tens of thousands of enterprises large and small are experimenting right now more than ever. We shall see what replaces crude for our energy needs. Some form of fuel cell is likely.
Firstly hydrogen fuel cell cars are electric cars, a fuel cell runs an electric motor. Secondly saying 'you can cross 'x' off the list' because the DOE drops funding for automobile research clouds public opinion against a technology that the DOE has recently announced 49 million for in stimulus funding. A few billion for a nuclear plant and cheap, recyclable alkaline fuel cells become a very attractive option.
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