Pending Report Downplays Optimism Regarding Electric Cars
In a report that will be released this November, Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) will provide an opinion that is less than optimistic about a rapid proliferation in the U.S. of vehicles powered entirely by batteries.
A major reason for the skepticism in the report is the classic "Catch-22" situation that currently exists in the area of having sufficient and convenient recharging stations. Another significant issue, according to the study, is the growing use of abundant natural gas to generate electricity with no carbon-based disincentives.
This situation makes wind energy, the cheapest form of clean energy, remain relatively uneconomical. As a result, most charging sources will continue to be powered by carbon-based sources of energy which largely offset the supposed environmental advantages of the vehicles that they recharge.
In 2007, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued a report which asserted that the U.S power grid could handle the additional burden of recharging up to 84% of the current number of autos and light trucks in operation at that time if they were replaced by electric vehicles. Critical assumptions in this report are that the vast majority of vehicles would be recharged at night, in recharging stations powered locally by wind energy, which is more prevalent at nighttime.
The CERA report dispels this opinion by noting that due to their shorter range, the vast majority of electric vehicles would be owned by people who live in cities. Many city-dwellers park their cars on the street at night, and have no garages or convenient access to recharging stations. As a result, a significant percentage of these car owners would need to recharge during the day, from sources powered by carbon-based electricity routed through the traditional grid.
The CERA report summarizes the situation by asserting that until Congress is willing to produce climate legislation that taxes carbon emissions, an unlikely scenario for now, it will be difficult if not impossible to create and adhere to an intelligent plan for production and deployment of electric vehicles.
Under our current energy policy, there are not enough disincentives for using carbon-based energy, as well as too few incentives for expanding sources of clean energy. Until this situation is reversed, we cannot expect a critical mass of clean, convenient recharging points of access that are a prerequisite for widescale ownership of electric vehicles.
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