Obama: 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2015

[tinrobot]

Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has proposed a new ten-year $150 billion energy plan today in Michigan. A large part of the plan centers around transportation -- both the use of petroleum and the types of cars we are to drive in the future. For automakers, $4 billion in loans and loan guarantees would be made available for PHEV development, with one-million of the vehicles to be ready for sale by 2015. For consumers, a $7,000 tax credit would be offered for their purchase of said vehicle. Also, in a more short-term effort, Obama proposes that the U.S. sells some seventy-million barrels of oil from America's strategic petroleum reserve.

While those PHEVs are being developed, Obama's plan would increase fuel economy standards 4-percent per year. What's more, Obama would mandate at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2030 while requiring that fuel producers reduce their fuel's carbon emissions by 5 percent within 5 years and 10 percent within 10 years. To make those biofuels have as large an impact as possible, all new vehicles would be required to have flex-fuel capability within four years.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/08/04/obama-1-million-plug-in-hybrid-vehicles-by-2015/

[carp]

1. I don't like mandates - they are unenforceable gratuitous statements.

He also called for a 5% cut in electricity usage, but with all these electric cars he is proposing, how does that figure into an electricity usage cut?

[phantom power]

2. Regulate performance, not solutions.

At least, that's how I would prefer to legislate if I were king.

[Greyskye]

3. Much of the power generated at night goes unused

If the majority of people don't recharge their vehicles until after 10pm local time, there is less of an impact then you might think. The type of charging used has an impact on the load as well. This study has more details: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/03/ornl-study-expl.html#more

Electric cars alone won't reduce the usage, but they don't necessarily impact usage negatively either.

[carp]

4. Sorry to disagree. You don't get something for nothing, even at night.

It takes a source of energy to generate the electricity, whether we plug in at night or during the day. Of course most will be charged "overnight" but the generators still have to turn and to turn they have to be powered by something, to make that electricity.

[Greyskye]

5. The generators never turn off

Power generated is not currently stored. If it isn't used, it's wasted. Look at the link I gave above, or research "vehicle to grid" technology. I assure you that this is indeed the case.

[carp]

7. Yes they are turning, but not under load. Add a load and you need more energy to turn them.

There is no free energy lunch in the energy world. Turbines are turning but they are turned down so they produce little electricity. Add a load and you will have to power them up to get electricity.

[madokie]

6. There will only be an increase of the amount of energy needed to cover the added electrical load

The generators, the mass if you will, will already be turning so that energy is already accounted for so the added load on the generator by the additions of the chargers is all the added energy needed. Producing electric from coal for instance has a much smaller carbon footprint than burning gas or diesel in an internal combustion engine. Burning a gallon of gas makes around 22 lbs of co2 where as making the electrical energy to go the same distance by burning coal is something like 7 lbs of co2 being produced, IIRC. EV's is a good deal for us today.