Economic and emissions impacts of electric vehicles

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"President Obama during his 2011 State of the Union address stated that we should have one million electric vehicles (EV) in the United States by 2015. The benefits of that would be to to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to reduce emissions. These are worthy goals. This article will take look at the economic impact of using electric cars, their emissions, and their impact on the electric grid.

As an example of a currently available electric car, I have chosen the Nissan Leaf since it is all electric.

The car has the following pertinent specifications:

• Price $32 780
• 100 miles per electric charge
• 24 kWh lithium-ion battery"

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Thus electric vehicle can have a significant impact on the reduction of unhealthy automobile emissions, but in order to decrease the emissions from the production of electricity in general, nuclear power plants are the only emission-free power generators that can have a significant impact. Currently, they produce 20 percent of the electricity in the United States, with coal’s share being 50 percent. That ratio needs to change in favor of nuclear plants by building more of them."

http://theenergycollective.com/ansorg/51761/economic-and-emissions-impacts-electric-vehicles?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

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1. DOE Releases New Analysis Showing Significant Advances in Electric Vehicle Deployment

http://energy.gov/news/10057.htm

February 8, 2011

DOE Releases New Analysis Showing Significant Advances in Electric Vehicle Deployment

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy today released http://energy.gov/news/documents/1_Million_Electric_Vehicle_Report_Final.pdf">One Million Electric Vehicles by 2015 (pdf - 220 kb), an analysis of advances in electric vehicle deployment and progress to date in meeting President Obama's goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. The analysis shows that while the goal is ambitious, it is also achievable based on steps already taken as part of the Recovery Act and additional policy initiatives proposed by President Obama -- including improvements to existing consumer tax credits, programs to help cities prepare for the growing demand for electric vehicles, and strong support for research and development to continue reducing the cost of electric vehicles.

"President Obama's goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 represents a key component of our strategy to dramatically reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and ensure that the U.S. leads the world in the growing electric vehicle manufacturing industry," said DOE Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs David Sandalow. "This is a race America can win -- if we answer the President's call to out-innovate, out-build, and out-compete the rest of the world."

One Million Electric Vehicles by 2015 details DOE investments in electric vehicle infrastructure, research and development, and demonstration projects nationwide that are laying the groundwork for achieving the President's goal. These projects include support for nearly 50 manufacturing facilities and demonstration projects nationwide. These efforts are helping to reduce the costs of advanced batteries and electric vehicles and gathering real-world data for consumers and local communities that will inform future deployment efforts.

The Department's analysis of the current market outlook indicates that manufacturers are planning to produce in the range of one million electric vehicles by 2015. While industry-wide, manufacturing capacity is not likely to be the limiting factor in reaching the President's goal, additional policy steps are needed to further drive innovation, reduce costs, and spur consumer demand.

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