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Driving Progress

The technology is here to plug our cars into our homes and charge them up for that next trip off to work or out shopping.

It is even possible with the right solar equipment, foresight and home, to use your own roof based solar panels to also charge your car.

However, there exists a lot of controversy across the globe about how we get our energy and energy efficient transport is a prime example of this.

Many of you may have seen the movie 'Who Killed the Electric Car'. The movie points the finger at the oil and car companies, as well as at governments and yes, at us the consumers.

So what are the vehicle options and what can we do about it?

Electric Cars

An electric car or EV as it is known in the trade is powered by electricity using a set of rechargeable batteries that power up its electric motor.

For everyday driving, an EV can travel at up to 200 km and can be charged while it is parked. If you think about it, most days your car is parked for longer than it is driven.

Imagine driving to work and plugging your car in to recharge for the trip home, just like charging your mobile phone. Night charging, using off peak power allows for even more efficient use of electricity.

EVs have less moving parts than their petrol cousins so are more easily serviced.

Hybrid

Hybrid cars combine internal petrol engine with an electric motor and a high capacity battery. In Australia, we have the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrids that use nickel metal hybrid batteries.

Other manufacturers have hybrid options available though not yet mass produced for the Australian market. This includes hybrid 4WDs such as the Ford Escape. See www.fueleconomy.gov for more examples.

The trend, particularly in the USA, towards equipping vehicles with a variety of household appliances (fridges, tvs, dvds) currently reduces their ability to be as economical as the smaller models.

Hybrid vehicles still use petrol and will produce some carbon dioxide emissions when in petrol mode.

Plug In Hybrids

Production hybrids such as the Prius can be converted to plug in versions changing the nickel metal battery to the more powerful lithium-ion option that can be charged using external sources such as solar power or from the grid. Plug in hybrids can be more efficient and can travel longer distances than production models before requiring charging or petrol.

Alternate Fuels

There are currently two main types of alternative fuels – biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesels.

Ethanol comes from plants such as sugar cane and is commonly mixed with petrol. While it is a renewable resource it is as expensive as and not really cleaner than petrol.

Biodiesels come from plant or animal matter such as vegetable oils or animal fats and use alcohol as a catalyst to produce a product that can be used pure or mixed with diesel.

Alternate fuels can be produced locally and reduce the reliance on the global oil market, however they rely upon intensive and environmentally inefficient production processes of agriculture.

Biodiesel however, can be produced using by-products, excess waste or recycled matter from agricultural processes.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen cars are being exclaimed by some as the new petrol replacements however they still currently rely upon non renewable resources.

Hydrogen cars can use either combustion or fuel cell conversion with the former process burning hydrogen similar to the way petrol is burned in a petrol car. Fuel cells convert the hydrogen into electricity via fuel cells which then powers electric motors.

The combustion models still produce air emissions while the fuel cell options have mainly water and heat as their major by product.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles cannot use the current liquid gas system so would require new filling systems and infrastructure. Uncertainty of fuelling options means a longer reliance on our current petrol models.

I recommend that you read up on all the options and consider the benefits including payback. If you have the time, write to the car companies and government agencies asking for more information.

The more queries and purchases in the hybrid and electric direction the greater the incentive for companies and governments to enable change.

In a world where resources are becoming limited, more expensive and more controlled, I think the most self sufficient approach will be the best way forward.