112007 News

Published: Nov 20, 2007 02:38 PM

Modified: Nov 20, 2007 02:42 PM

Raleigh buys a 100-mpg plug-in hybrid vehicle

From Staff Reports

Raleigh got a little greener today as it unveiled its spanking-new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle - a Toyota Prius that promises 100 miles to the gallon and greatly reduced tailpipe emissions. The city is testing out the Prius, purchased for $21,298 and modified with a battery with six times the capacity of a production Prius at an additional cost of $21,00. It's part of the city's pledge to cut fossil fuel consumption by 20 percent over the next five years.

The PHEV's enlarged battery lets it run primarily on electricity for local commutes, while retaining a gasoline engine for acceleration and long distances. Mayor Charles Meeker said the City is excited about the use of existing hybrid technology to lower fuel costs, clean our air and reduce our nation’s dependency on foreign oil.

The City’s PHEV was one of four at the media conference. The others were the property of members of the Plugin Hybrid Coalition of the Carolinas. The coalition’s goal is to encourage manufacturers to use available technology to take the PHEV from prototype to mass production for nationwide consumption. The other PHEV belonged to Progress Energy, which is aggressively marketing the hybrids as a way of using off-peak electricity to address the nation’s energy needs and Advanced Energy, which is a Raleigh nonprofit resource for innovative and market-based approached to energy issues.

James Poch, executive director of the coalition, explained that the PHEV is a conventional hybrid with a battery capacity that has been enlarged almost six-fold. “The result is a vehicle that prefers to use cleaner, more affordable, electricity for local commutes, yet retains a gasoline engine for long distances and acceleration,” Poch said. He quoted a 2007 Natural Resource Defense Council study that stated wide use of PHEVs would have the effect of eliminating 450 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, or removing 82 million cars.

“Environmentalists also realize our nation has an over abundance of off-peak electricity that is not being used,” Poch said. “The U.S. Department of Energy says that the use of unused electricity could power 84 percent of our nation’s passenger and light-duty truck fleet.”

The coalition also was represented at the media conference by Progress Energy Northern Region Vice President Hilda Pinnix-Ragland. Other members of the coalition include Duke Energy and SCE&G.

“Plug-in hybrid vehicles generally use electricity during off-peak hours, which helps make more efficient use of our power plants while reducing emissions significantly,” said Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas. “We are pleased to partner with the City of Raleigh to help demonstrate the application of these vehicles on a broader scale.”

Following the media conference, attendees were offered a ride around Nash Square in the PHEVs.

RALEIGH'S 20 PERCENT REDUCTION GOAL

Meeker noted that the City Council this year unanimously endorsed a goal of reducing fossil fuel consumption by 20 percent over the coming five years. He noted that in the past fiscal year, alternative fuels comprised 17 percent of the City’s total fuel consumption. Alternative-fuel vehicles are 15 percent of the City’s fleet. He stated that the best use of PHEVs and other cleaner-burning, more efficient energy sources will help the City meet its goals of reducing its Fiscal Year 2012 fossil fuel consumption by 2,090,744 gallons annually. Other measures to be employed to accomplish this feat include:

Further expansion of the City’s alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). The current number is 334;

Use of alternative fuels such as bio-diesel in the Capital Area Transit buses; and,

Use of remote facilities to reduce miles traveled by City staff.

The City’s six-month pilot demo of this PHEV will collect the following data:

Fuel economy (both gas and electric) on urban and highway driving;

Emissions for urban and highway driving;

Acceleration (0-to-60 mph and quarter-mile);

Operating costs; and,

Charging profile variations with depth of discharge.

“This data should allow us to clearly see the benefits of overnight charging and evaluate the impact of the vehicle to a typical residential household,” explained Assistant City Manager Julian Prosser. “We will also estimate the charging costs under the most popular rate structures for residential, commercial, and industrial facilities. All of this data will be used to calculate the bottom-line impact to a consumer and determine the pay-back period.”

The City is seeking a grant from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) to defray the purchase costs of three diesel hybrid electric buses. The FTA Section 5309 capital grant the City is seeking would total $802,000. The City’s share of the purchase would be $923,000. The City Council voted unanimously Nov. 7, to set a budget to purchase the buses in anticipation of receiving the federal grant.

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