tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post3212559746004661394..comments2023-07-02T06:58:33.737-05:00Comments on WebberEnergyBlog: Exciting Infrastructure Support for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) AdoptionMichael E. Webber, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12416546342365493633noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-61872198971313009642009-05-04T19:34:00.000-05:002009-05-04T19:34:00.000-05:00In response to Nirav’s comment above, nowhere in...In response to Nirav’s comment above, nowhere in my post did I mention “prioritizing support” (I assume you mean government subsidies) for PHEV infrastructure. Please read it again. My discussion was a brief summary of private sector investments, namely two California companies who are looking to establish a first-mover advantage in supporting this emerging technology. As with any free-market, private sector investment, there will be winners and losers. The risk that Coloumb Technologies and Better Place face is a slow drawn-out transition to vehicle electrification which could be caused by a failure of battery technology to mature beyond today’s weight and discharge limitations as you suggested. Either could likely fail as their aggressive burn-rates eat through their venture funding as they waiting for this transition to catch up.<br />But there is a “chicken or egg” problem that these two firms are recognizing and positioning for. Residential charging stations are not going to be enough should vehicle electrification take off. Battery-swap stations like what Better Place is proposing, or networks of fast-charging stations in public places will be needed to meet the convenience that today’s drivers demand. A commonly known principle in competitive strategy is that if you are in an emerging technology field, steer the standards in your favor. An example is Better Place’s business model. It is very different from Coloumb Technologies and offers several tradeoffs. Whereas Coloumb is “battery agnostic”, Better Place has developed open standards that they are advocating to battery and vehicle manufacturers to design products to their standards and will open their inventory to improved battery capacity and dischargability as the technology becomes available. They are currently sourcing lithium-ion batteries from both NEC and A123 Systems. Another key differentiator is their battery swap stations. Better Place claims to have automated battery-swap stations that can swap a depleted battery for a fresh one in less than three minutes. They have already installed 900 charging stations in Israel (their primary test bed) and are unveiling their first battery swap stations in Japan this year . Locking-up the Israeli market with Renault-Nissan in 2008 was a big win for the company, and Israel is the perfect market for vehicle electrification given its relationship with its oil-rich neighbors. Better Place is aggressively pursuing partnerships with other vehicle manufacturers who agree to design electric vehicles to their battery-swapping standards. China is looking to leap-frog the west by going straight to PHEV manufacturing. Build Your Dreams (BYD) and Nissan are already producing PHEVs for the Chinese market , and Better Place is courting Beijing to be the infrastructure provider .<br /><br /> Garthwaite, Jose Earth2Tech: http://earth2tech.com/2009/04/23/better-place-pops-the-hood-gears-up-for-all-or-nothing-rollout/<br /> CleanTech Group: http://cleantech.com/news/3983/chinas-byd-sells-first-mass-produced-plug-cars<br /> McGirk, Tim Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1705518,00.htmlJeff Ottohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00070375138319822781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-67074976908565785792009-04-12T22:52:00.000-05:002009-04-12T22:52:00.000-05:00We are getting ahead of ourselves by prioritizing ...We are getting ahead of ourselves by prioritizing support infrastructure for PHEVs. Instead, attention should be focused on improving the performance, life, durability, and cost of lithium-ion batteries in order for PHEVs to be competitive and marketable. Industry experts believe that the cost of producing a lithium-ion battery is three to five times higher than it should be, making PHEVs much more cost prohibitive to the average consumer. The weight and volume of lithium-ion batteries – the battery in the PHEV Chevy Volt weighs approximately 400 pounds and is six feet tall – is significantly hampering the performance of PHEVs. Additionally, lithium-ion batteries for PHEVs are not durable enough to last for 15 years. The success or failure of PHEVs will be highly dependent on the performance of lithium-ion batteries. <BR/><BR/>If the United States is not dedicated to having a competitive advantage in the development and production of advanced lithium-ion batteries for PHEVs, we might as well not pump any more money in the auto industry to just let them fail. Currently, the major producers of lithium-ion batteries are all abroad with China, South Korea, and Japan leading the pack. However, President Obama is making an effort to get the United States into the race. He has dedicated $2 billion of stimulus funds to the development of advanced battery technology in the United States. Additionally, the President has given the Department of Energy authority to loan out $25 billion to U.S. firms developing advanced battery technology. <BR/><BR/>Before spending money on support infrastructure we must first prioritize advancing lithium-ion battery technology to the point where PHEVs are competitive – on both price and performance – with traditional fuel-powered autos. Furthermore, if this is done within the boundaries of the U.S., we may even see the resurgence of our domestic auto industry.Nirav Shahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06615088799194811632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-26939012089560922322009-04-12T16:54:00.000-05:002009-04-12T16:54:00.000-05:00Obama has set the goal of bringing one million PHE...Obama has set the goal of bringing one million PHEVs to market by 2015. While this initially sounds like an ambitious goal, when put in perspective this would only make a minor dent in the US' vehicle fleet. Currently there are about 250 million registered vehicles in the US. While one million PHEVs would certainly help reduce costs and would incentize the construction of infrastructure to support such vehicles, I think we need to think more realistically about what scale of penetration is needed to make a significant mark in reducing auto pollutants, particularly CO2.Chris Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05085751850872216912noreply@blogger.com