Customer Reviews

Plug-In Electric Vehicles: What Role for Washington?

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Comprehensive, balanced, and without picking winners beforehand, the authors present the potential and benefits but also all the constraints and barriers this disruptive technology will have to overcome before entering the mainstream. Despite the "conspiracy theories" (e.g. see Who Killed the Electric Car?) argued by many advocates of plug-ins (PHEVs) and all electric vehicles (AEVs or BEVs), the book presents a deep analysis of all the remaining difficulties, once the resistance of the main car manufacturers has been apparently overcome.

Easy to read, the book is organized in13 chapters, each of an average 20 pages, which facilitates hoping to the chapters dealing with your favorite subjects (actually there are a couple of chapters that are not that interesting due to the technical/paper like style they were written). Contrary to most other books on this subject, the authors do not advocate for nor they discard firsthand any option for achieving energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as even biofuels and diesel are analyzed fairly and their role properly identified, including the contribution of flex-fuel plug-in hybrids.

The main contribution of the book is the detailed and comprehensive discussion of all the barriers and all other existing difficulties that hinder the widespread use of electric-powered vehicles. The real impact of the high cost of automotive electric batteries and its limited range are fully discussed, but also all the other not so well-known implications of broad use of electric batteries, such as the risk of switching oil dependence for dependence on foreign providers (not always friendly to the U.S.) for the heavy metals and rare elements used in electric drivetrains; or all the changes electric utilities will have to make to deliver low-carbon electricity and to introduce a smart grid to allow vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transfer of store electricity at peak-hours, or even worst, just to charge lower rates during off-peak nighttime hours, or to have the capacity to attend the voltage loads that will be produced by charging simultaneously a relative small fleet of plug-ins and electric vehicles overnight without blowing neighborhood transformers. The final chapters of the book made the case for government interventions through new policies and subsidies as an imperative to overcome the huge amount of changes necessary to overcome the nightmare hurdles and risks that will allow PHEVs and AEVs to really achieve their potential regarding oil independence and reducing the impacts of climate change in the next two to three decades. Yes, the book clearly demonstrates that long is going to take for these advanced technologies to make a significant dent on oil consumption, but only if the proper policies are in place.

A must read, and together with Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability, these two books are an obligatory reading for both enthusiasts and transport professionals wishing not only to update their knowledge but also to have a realistic view and be aware of all the hurdles the plug-ins and electric vehicles still have to overcome to become mainstream, and have a significant effect on energy independence and reducing greenhouse gases.

PS: If your are really interested in this subject, do not miss the recently plublished High Voltage: The Fast Track to Plug In the Auto Industry and Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy, both comprehensive and updated.