Is China getting left behind in electrification trends by focusing on plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles? Is it ignoring alternatives that would achieve its goals of cutting emissions and reducing dependency on imported oil more quickly than full-on electrification? Paul Rivera, director of the global product group for hybrids and electrical
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fuel savings
People buy hybrids for a variety of reasons: to save money on gas, reduce environmental harms, or project an image as a socially-conscious driver. But on a pure economics basis, are hybrids really the way to go? Does using less gas actually translate into real savings over the life of a hybrid?
Assume that you have two cars; an SUV and a compact car. Both cars are aging but you can only afford to replace one. Assume further, that like many families, you still require at least one car with a carrying capacity greater than what a compact car can offer.
From both a fuel economics and an emissions perspective, which is the better option?
Here’s a consumer-oriented piece from the U.S. Department of Energy: 10 Things You Didn’t Know about Electric Vehicles. Nicely done.
There are a couple of issues with EVs, however, that make this a trickier issue than the article implies:
• Even though the fuel savings versus gasoline are significant,
Mitsubishi and Nippon Fruehauf, a light metals manufacturer, have developed an “idling-stop” solar-powered air conditioning unit that cools the truck cabin when the engine is not running.
Called the “i-Cool Solar,” the solar–