I want one!

I want one too.

Oops, meant to say "like so many generations of hydrogen cars"

I suppose there were a few demonstration generations of hybrids to though ... years back.

A $4K to $12K grant (tied to fossil fuel consumption reduction + extra cost associated with the production of PHEVs) to purchasers of vehicles capable of going 40 Km to 120 Km on electricity ONLY would do a lot to accellerate PHEVs development and promote sales.

A 10 to 15 year program could be fully financed with a progressive fossil fuel or carbon tax.

It is only fair that polluters (with their gas guzzlers and coal fired generation plants etc ) should pay for the initial transition to cleaner vehicles. A few hundred billion $$ would change hand in the first 15 years. By 2020/2025, the cost of PHEVs and BEVs would come down and the support program could be progressively phased out.

Sooner or later, with gas prices staying above $3.00 a gallon, The Big Three is going to have to respond to this sudden wave of customers "hacking" their own vehicles.

I see it as an attempt to establish or substantiate a market. Lots of tech types just say, build a better battery and they will come. Most business type might say, show me where I can make my money back and I will think about it. If there is a ground swell of support for this and there is a lot of data showing reliability, the venture community may fund battery technology more completely. We are still mainly a venture funded country in the U.S. when it comes to technology. If they do not see a short term significant payback, they go elsewhere.

Huge compared to Exxon/Mobiles market valuation of $500 billion dollars? It depends on what one calls huge I guess.

(either that or you lost me. the point was how much substance there is in "showcase" PHEV deals.)

I hope some valuable vehicle to grid and grid load leveling research results from this, otherwise I think it tilts more towards PR than anything real.

There are a lot of codes and standards issues that need to be sorted out, and some intricate software and hardware that needs to be developed to make PHEVs work with the grid as more than mere loads. There is so much promise in the technology, but I doubt that Ford's primary motivation is the technology it this point. They need a PR boost, and increased sales of anything to keep afloat.

One thought on energy policy - if you compare the cost savings of a PHEV over a regular HEV to the consumer, I think you will never recover the battery cost, so there is no incentive to the consumer.

However, as a society we benefit with every drop of oil that is not imported at high cost (better trade balance, stronger dollar, lower interest rates, reduced military spending to "protect interests abroad...").

I think it would be prudent policy in the US for the federal government to underwrite the cost of ALL BEV, PHEV, FVC, V2G, battery, stack, and electrolyzer development and especially manufacturing implementation for the first X years until manufacturing costs reach commercial levels. Otherwise we will never see any of these technologies meaningfully displace gasoline engines, because the markets will never bear the costs involved, and the manufacturers can't afford to subsidize the products.

Just a thought,

James

JBrady,
You are absolutely correct. "He who has the gold makes the rules". There is no incentive for big oil to push electric vehicles unless they can somehow share in the revenue and that won't happen. PHEV's seem like a logical step in the evolution to all electric vehicles but we need a revolution rather than an evolution. Now is the time to lobby a company like TESLA to quickly put out the specification for an affordable sedan and with a reasonable deposit stucture for purchasing. Then groups who are interested could get on the bandwagon by helping signup prespective buyers so that we can cause a seismic shift in the Auto industry. Statis quo and snails pace development won't do.

The huge advantage of PHEV for me is that (like many people) I make many short trips (local shops, take kids to school, etc) which would be well within the range of electric-only. In Australia where I live I can pay a premium to get my electricity from 100% renewables. Then my PHEV would be 100% renewable-powered for the vast majority of my trips.

Of course I sometimes take longer trips across the city or interstate, then a PHEV is just another fuel-efficient hybrid. So this technology gives me maximum renewable power while also being practical for my occassional (but essential) longer trips where a pure electric vehicle, hydrogen or any other alternative won't work.

I see plug in hybrid as the key technology for the medium term, until batteries are good enough to go pure electric. I don't know if that will be 2 years or 20, but in the mean time, the only question, is how do I get my hands on a PHEV here in Australia?