Austin Energy is the nation’s 10th largest community-owned electric utility,
serving 360,000 customers and a population of more than 800,000 in Texas.
Under the direction of the Austin City Council, the City of Austin and
Austin Energy are leading Plug-In Partners, a national campaign to
demonstrate to automakers that a market exists today for plug-in hybrids.
CalCars is a group of entrepreneurs,
environmentalists, engineers and other citizens working to spur adoption of
efficient, non-polluting automotive technologies. The group is building
demand among highly receptive markets to encourage auto makers to produce
100+MPG "no-sacrifices" high-performance, clean hybrid cars. the website
contains dozens of resources on hybrid cars and PHEVs.
Electric
Auto Association, "Plug in Hybrids"
http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Plug-In_Hybrids
The EAA-PHEV
mission is to educate, demonstrate, and proliferate Electric and Plug-In
Hybrid Electric Vehicles. This website, which formerly lived at
SeattleEVA.org, has as its focus enhancing the documentation of Prius PHEV
conversions similar to CalCars first PriusPlus conversion.
EPRI plays a
leading role in the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)
technology as a viable alternative to petroleum-based transportation that
will eventually lead to commercialization of electric-powered vehicles. EPRI
has a long history in the advancement of electric powered transportation.
The Institute's Electric Vehicle Program began in 1976 as an effort to
understand the benefits and challenges of electricity as a transportation
fuel in the U.S. marketplace.
EPRI is completing — in the first quarter of
2007 — a comprehensive, collaborative study to quantify the environmental
impacts of electric transportation, specifically with respect to plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). There are two primary components of the
study: the first is scenario analysis using the EPRI nationwide electric
sector model to determine the energy and greenhouse gas impacts of PHEVs
over a timeframe of 2010 to 2050; the second component is a nationwide air
quality analysis for the year 2030 that assumes an aggressive market
penetration of PHEVs. EPRI, working collaboratively with the Natural
Resources Defense Council, is performing this groundbreaking research to
better understand the net CO2
emission and air quality impacts of plug-in
electric hybrid vehicles. It is important for this analysis to incorporate
present and future energy costs, varying levels of PHEV market penetration,
vehicle technologies, and various portfolios of power generation
technologies.
Availability of
affordable advanced battery technology is a crucial challenge to the growth
of the electric-drive vehicle (EDV) market. This study assesses the state of
advanced battery technology for EDVs, which include battery electric
vehicles (BEVs), power assist hybrid electric vehicles (HEV 0s -- hybrids
without electric driving range), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs),
and fuel cell vehicles. The first part of this study presents assessments of
current battery performance and cycle life capabilities as well as cycle
life prospects and costs of batteries designed for EDV applications. The
second half is a life cycle cost analysis for these applications using new
information and a refined version of a California Air Resources Board cost
model.
This assessment was conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute and
the Natural Resources Defense Council. It made a detailed study of the
question – looking at a variety of scenarios involving the U.S. fleet of
power generation and its fleet of light-duty and medium-duty cars and
trucks. The study focused on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and
projected changes in power generation technology from 2010 through 2050.
Plug-In Partners is a national grass-roots
initiative to demonstrate to automakers that a market for flexible-fuel
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) exists today. The partners
envisioned in this campaign are local and state governments, utilities, and
environmental, consumer and business organizations. The National Campaign
will demonstrate the viability of this market by garnering support in the
form of online petitions and endorsements by cities across the country,
procuring “soft” fleet orders, and developing rebates and incentives
The Set America Free Coalition brings
together prominent individuals and non-profit organizations concerned about
the security and economic implications of America’s growing dependence on
foreign oil. The coalition, organized by the Institute for the Analysis of
Global Security (IAGS),
promotes a blueprint which spells out practical ways in which real progress
toward energy security can be made over the next several years. The
coalition believes that by spearheading a global effort to transition the
transportation sector to next-generation fuels and vehicles that can utilize
them, the United States can deny its adversaries the wherewithal they use to
harm us. Doing so will also protect our quality of life and economy against
the effects of cuts in foreign energy supplies and rising costs of oil.
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