Car blogs

The U.S. government has set a goal - via Executive Order 13423, signed by President Bush in 2007 - for federal agencies to use plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, as they become available at a reasonable cost.


In response to a request from several key U.S. representatives, the federal Government Accountability Office examined the potential benefits of PHEVs, factors affecting the availability of plug-ins, and challenges to incorporating plug-ins into the federal fleet.


The GAO, in a report released this week, found that increasing the use of plug-ins could result in environmental and other benefits, but also that realizing these benefits depends on several factors.


Although plug-ins could significantly reduce oil consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, the electricity used for charging the batteries would need to be generated from lower-emission fuels such as nuclear and renewable energy rather than fossil fuels - coal and natural gas - for PHEVs to reach their full potential.


Nothing there we've not reported time and again. Same can be said for the GAO's conclusion that for plug-ins to be cost effective relative to gasoline-powered vehicles, the price of batteries must come down significantly and gasoline prices must be high relative to electricity.


Indeed, the GAO study didn't veer much from common knowledge until it turned to the topic of the future makeup of the federal fleet. To incorporate plug-ins into the federal fleet, the GAO concluded, agencies will face challenges related to cost, availability, planning, and federal requirements.


Plug-ins are expected to have high upfront costs when they are first introduced, the study concluded, and agencies vary in the extent to which they use life-cycle costing when evaluating which vehicle to purchase.


Agencies also may find that plug-ins are not available to them, especially when the vehicles are initially introduced, because the number available to the government may be limited.
Continue reading...

Tags: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Congress, GAO, Government Accounting Office, PHEV, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

---

GAO: PHEVs Potentially Beneficial, but Costs Can Hinder Federal Fleet Integration was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.