CARazed

The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Electric Car progress is being stalled by slow battery development. While this point helps me make the point that Plug-In Hybrids are the best option, WSJ is misreporting some simple facts:

“…a new kind of hybrid called plug-ins, which rely on small gasoline engines to occasionally boost the batteries, and cars that run entirely on batteries.”

Not true. Not all plug-in hybrids would have to have small engines. The upcoming Porsche Cayenne and Panamera Hybrid models are perfectly positioned for a the addition of a plug-in option and initial reports of the Cayenne say it feels as powerful as the gasoline version.

“Both systems require cars to be plugged in for recharging.”

Interesting sentence. Yes it is true that if you want to recharge something like a phone, camera, laptop, car, you’d need to plug it in. But Plug-In Hybrids do not require that you plug them in. You’d be wasting money if you didn’t plug them in but the car’s gasoline engine can charge the system if you don’t.

Today’s Toyota Prius can be plugged in with a conversion kit. Google.org has launched a project called RechargeIT where they are converting a fleet of Toyota Prius cars. They are not downsizing the motors from the production Prius. The fact that the Prius has a smaller engine in the first place is not a requirement just an added advantage for fuel economy. The Ford Escape Hybrid can also be converted to a Plug-In Hybrid.

“Plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars both require batteries that can store lots of energy, recharge quickly and operate in all weather without overheating or failing. Right now, no commercially available battery technology fits the bill, including the batteries used in the Prius, called nickel-metal-hydride cells.”

Again not really correct. The Plug-In hybrid conversion kits are commercially available with today’s battery technology. They would be better with better batteries but they definitely add value today. The kits are also costly but cost would naturally decrease as production increased.

The rest of the article seems accurate. I think the author simply had the opportunity to expand on the true immediate opportunities of Plug-In Hybrids and failed to take them, instead focusing on the woes of battery development. In fact at next week’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) some nearly production ready Plug-In Hybrids are rumored to be on display. We hope the rumors are true, and maybe the WSJ will report on those upcoming cars.

Read the Original WSJ Article