Hybrid Cars Help Reduce GHG Emissions
The international debate about the potential impacts of global warming increasingly moves beyond the science into the economics of emission reduction and our strategies.
Both the the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 1997 Kyoto accords promoted international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Additionally, the United States Climate Change Action Plan established the goal of reducing GHG emissions to their 1990 levels by the year 2000.
Most global warming experts agree that significant actions are necessary to achieve this goal since U.S. GHG emissions already have risen 8% between 1990 and 1996, as strong economic growth and declining energy prices caused energy use to increase.
While ultimately an international issue, private companies are increasingly active in climate change discussions. The key reason is that the federal government is seeking to use market-based approaches for implementing initiatives to reduce environmental emissions including greenhouse gases. If well designed, these market-based approaches to emission reductions will create competitive markets where energy efficiency based emission reductions can compete directly with other sources. These markets will give emission reductions from energy efficiency a market value and create an added revenue stream for energy efficiency projects. This added revenue steam will allow more energy efficiency measures to be included in energy savings performance contracting projects.
One such project which could have far reaching emission reduction has had a slow but ever-expanding progressive history and that is the hybrid vehicle.
Fuel conservation and emissions reductions are the claim to fame of hybrid vehicles. These advantages are primarily achieved by three elements of a typical hybrid design:
- An engine and an electric motor for a high and low power needs is provided, resulting in a smaller engine, fuel efficiency and lower weight, provide locomotion
- A greater battery storing capacity reuses recaptured energy, especially in stop-and-go traffic, which is common development in urban driving
- Regenerative braking captures and converts kinetic energy into electricity
Additionally ‘hybrid’ features commonly include:
- Shutting down the engine during traffic stops or while coasting or idle periods
- Improving aerodynamics
- Low rolling resistance
- Powering accessories electrically like the a/c, power steering, and auxiliary pumps as and when needed
In addition, noise emissions are reduced, particularly at idling and low operating speeds, in comparison to conventional engine vehicles.
The hybrid vehicle started with Ferdinand Porsche as described at CarPool and their recent work of The Evolution of the Hybrid Car.
