For those of you who had been following the Green Mondays blog, as you may have noticed it has been some time since I had written the latest post which I believe was back in October or November. Since then, I have transitioned to writing articles for the blog that was just started at my institute, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas (SMA). Because those articles are published on the SMA website and mainly for sisters, associates, and staff within SMA, I wanted to share a new blog (titled "Green Xpectations") in which I will post similar articles slightly tailored to those of you residing outside of SMA. Please continue reading for a recent article that focused on hybrid and EV vehicles.
When switching from a fully gas-powered to an electric or hybrid vehicle, there are many considerations that need to be taken into account. First, it is important to understand the difference between these two type of vehicles in addition to a third type referred to as a plug-in hybrid vehicle. A hybrid vehicle does still have the standard internal combustion engine that you would find in any fully gas-powered vehicle, but it tends to be much smaller due to the fact that a hybrid is also powered by one or more electric motors that use energy stored in batteries. When the charge of the battery goes down or extra power is needed when, for instance, going up a hill, the gas-powered motor will take over. The battery is then recharged whenever the brakes are pressed. The combined use of a gas-powered and an electric motor allow the vehicle to have a much higher fuel mileage than a standard gas-powered vehicle. A Toyota Prius, for example, can get up to almost 60 miles per gallon compared to a standard gas-powered vehicle, which often has a fuel mileage of less than 30 miles per gallon. One advantage of a hybrid compared to an electric or plug-in hybrid is that there is no difference in the driving experience between a hybrid and a fully gas-powered vehicle except that you will need to spend less time filling up at gas stations.
In contrast to a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle (or EV) is fully powered by energy stored in a battery and thus produces zero emissions while being used. Even though an EV requires no gasoline, it does require that the battery remain charged, which, unlike the hybrid, cannot be accomplished by using the brakes. Owning an EV requires having a garage or some other internal structure at home that contains an outlet for charging. Also, if you are traveling distances longer than 200 to 300 miles, which is the common range for most EVs, you will also need to find a location at which to charge your vehicle. On the West and East Coasts, this may not be a big issue as there are many locations that offer charging stations; if you are traveling away from the coasts, though, it may be more of a challenge. Such concerns will become less as more and more charging stations are installed throughout the country. But it also takes time to charge your vehicle. Using a standard outlet can take several hours whereas some higher-level chargers can fully charge a battery in 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the specific vehicle. Though an electric vehicle does not create emissions while being used, significant emissions can be realized from charging your vehicle. This may not be a big issue near the East and West Coasts where a higher percentage of energy comes from renewable sources, but in the central portion of the country the high use of fossil fuels can increase emissions due to charging significantly and almost to the point where there is no significant savings when comparing to a fully gas-powered vehicle.
The third and final option when considering an electric-powered vehicle is a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV). The difference between a PHV and a standard hybrid is that on a fully-charged battery a PHV will run completely on electric for the first 25 to 45 miles, after which it will run as a regular hybrid. In order to take advantage of this capability, you will still need to have an indoor outlet at home in order to charge the battery overnight, but the fact that it will run as a regular hybrid once the battery charge has reduced is a big advantage in that you do not need to find a charging station when traveling far from home. If you keep the PHV charged at home and typically travel less than 25 to 45 miles before returning home, you will use almost zero gasoline. Driving in such a way can allow an overall fuel mileage of nearly 120 miles/gallon. Therefore, a PHV can be a big advantage for someone who does not regularly travel far from home but who also has the capability to charge the battery at home.
Objective:
When you are ready to purchase your next vehicle, consider a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or a fully electric vehicle. Questions to consider include the following:
- How many miles do I drive in an average year? (The more miles you travel means there would be more benefit to owning a hybrid or electric vehicle.)
- Does my residence have a garage with an outlet? (Yes – electric & plug-in hybrid; No – hybrid)
- How far do I typically travel from home per trip? (closer to home – electric & plug-in hybrid; farther from home – hybrid).
- Do I live in an area where there are plenty of charging stations available away from home? (Yes – electric; No – plug-in hybrid & hybrid).
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