Research for developing advanced,
environmentally friendly vehicles will be stimulated by the new
legislation which ensures funding awarded by the Department of Energy in
the US. The loan program of the department will be expanded to offer
more assistance to suppliers and manufacturers that will retool their
factories in order to produce more fuel-efficient cars.
For the next 10 years, billions
of dollars will be directed towards communities in the US to build the
proper infrastructure to charge electric cars and entice consumers to
buy plug-in cars. The aim is to have at least half of the cars and
trucks running on electricity by 2030, thus lowering the demand for oil
to one third of the present level.
The Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee has already approved one of several bills that are
intended to cut carbon emissions and at the same time to free America
from the dependence on imported oil. Research for hybridization and
electrification, hydrogen fuel cells, and electric infrastructures will
be supported by funds from the Energy Department. For example, Ford
Motor Co. has already received $5 billion to retool its plant in Wayne,
Michigan. In addition, imported electric cars will be offered to the US
consumers. Nissan Leaf will go on sale this fall and is one vehicle that
is favored by this trend.
Electric cars that are available
today are practical for shorter journeys, and can be recharged
overnight. In Japan, infrastructure is already available in a few pilot
cities that offer battery swapping stations. Recharging a battery does
not require much time or attention from the owner, it only takes a few
seconds to plug or unplug the charging source. In northern US states
there is already infrastructure for public power outlets.
The future of electric cars is
heavily dependent on the cost and availability of batteries because
other components are already competitive when compared to those of
internal combustion engines.
Electric cars can significantly
reduce pollution due to their zero tail pipe emissions. However, these
cars will increase the demand for electricity generation. Electric
motors can convert stored energy more efficiently if compared with
internal combustion engine cars. Regenerative braking is a feature
offered by many hybrid electric cars and this feature ensures that 20%
of the energy lost in the brakes is recovered and used to recharge
batteries.
As an average American drives
less than 40 miles per day, an electric car could be adequate for daily
needs for 90% of the US consumers. Replaceable battery packs, which are
energy storage devices that can be swapped at service stations, could be
the solution for longer journeys. The Tesla Model S sedan, which is
expected to be launched in 2012, will have such a battery that can be
swapped.
The car industry can be heavily influenced by the
advantage regarding city pollution that electric cars offer.
Nevertheless, electric vehicles still have to overcome the major
difference between the costs of development and production when compared
to internal combustion engine cars.
