On the Road to Low Carbon Travel:
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
As concerns over carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels increase, we need to drastically rethink transportation and automobile design. Given the recent success of hybrid electric cars, plug-in vehicles are a logical next step to reducing carbon emissions. Although plug-in hybrid electric vehicles still contain and use an internal combustion engine, they are capable of fully relying on battery power from a lithium ion cell and an electric motor for up to forty miles. As the battery can be recharged by the electric grid, this removes the need for gasoline for the majority of day-to-day travel. The connection to the grid also allows the battery to store energy and then return it to the grid when demand exceeds power generation, thereby increasing stability in the grid. By continuing to improve batteries and electric motors, efficiency can be increased while bringing down the cost and move us closer to carbon free travel.