Crossposted with TheGreenGrok.
Come along on a test drive of the Nissan Leaf.
Ever wonder what one of those all-electric cars feels like when you're behind the wheel? Well, here's your chance. We'll start by getting the lowdown on what it means to be a "zero-emission vehicle" from one of the Energy Department's car specialists. We'll kick the tires, check out the funny plugs and then take the baby for a spin through the streets of Washington, D.C.
(A heads-up for folks in the Durham area who want to test drive a Leaf themselves: today's your chance, courtesy of the Durham City-County Sustainability Office. Follow the links for details and sign-up.)
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The following will explain in fairly simple terms how the hybrid car may be more fuel efficient:
At a very simplified level a hybrid like the Prius is using both a gasoline engine and an electric motor to move the car. Energy normal wasted as heat during braking is used to recharge batteries that power the electric motor which helps move the car. The switching between gas and electric is all done by computer control.
The gasoline engine operates in a more efficient manner in a hybrid car. With the help of the electric motor it can operate at a more efficient rpm and is completely shut off much of the time. The gasoline engine can be sized smaller which is more fuel efficient because the electric motor is available to help with peak demand.
Actual gas mileage that you will obtain is dependent on many variables but in general hybrid cars will do better for city driving with the frequent starts, stops and periods of idling. Idling can be a rather big waste of fuel and there are some non-hybrid gas cars that start and stop the engine when idling. The real time data provided on the dashboard of the hybrid car gives feedback to train you to drive in a more fuel efficient manner.
http://www.treehugger.com/cars/cheapest-new-cars-in-norway-are-electric.html
These cheap EVs are not very speedy (top speed about 45 mph), and their range isn't great (about 25 miles), but they are good for city driving in much of Europe. I do not know why they are not available in this country. If they got tax credits similar to the Volt and the Leaf, they would be quite affordable.
Battery capacity really isn't an issue for most people. Average commute is 15 miles for 68% of population with only 11% reporting more than 30 mile commute.
http://www.bts.gov/publications/omnistats/volume_03_issue_04/html/entire.html
Sensible policy would include subsidies funded by taxing oil company profits for two programs.
First, government loans administered by local energy providers essentially offering zero-interest loans to all interested homeowners who seek to have roof mount solar panel installation. Monthly payments could be same as typical electric payment and payoff in roughly ten years with 25-30 years of FREE energy production after payoff. Additional panels added would easily work the same way providing sufficient energy to power electric cars. Panels coexist with electrical grid -- no batteries for home required.
Another plan to service batteries is typical drive through service stations, where batteries are quickly replaced for new fully charged batteries for fee...just like now, when paying for gas and service stations are franchised.
Second, temporary subsidies for American made electric cars like Nissan Leaf would spur sales spurring a technology race -- including increased battery range and life.
Benefit: Reduced dependence on foreign oil, reduced balance of trade, massively reduced CO2 emission, and after loan payoff -- FREE energy production both for home and car. What could be more beneficial? And it's technologically feasible...yesterday!