Abstract-Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) BACKGROUND: A VISION FOR PHEVSThe US energy economy suffers from the use of too much petroleum. This is a problem because the world's oil reserves are in places far from our national borders and often governed by countries with different political agendas; 60% of the reserves are in the Mideast [1]. It is also a problem because the long term supply of petroleum is limited, with discoveries declining since 1964 [2]. And, it is a problem because our burning of this non-renewable resource produces too much greenhouse gas, with 25% of CO 2 production coming from the US, and 33% of US CO 2 coming from oil. Transportation represents 28% of US energy use and 70% of petroleum use [1].Power obtained from gasoline burned in automobile engines is extremely inefficient, with an average final efficiency of only 15%, with the rest wasted in heat and drive train losses By shifting our least efficient energy conversion step from inefficient small engines to central power plants, the total well to wheel efficiency of our transportation sector can be greatly improved. Also, use of electric power transmission and distribution allows the source of transport energy to be renewable sources, nuclear, or natural gas, with far greater long term supplies and lower carbon footprint. If half the passenger vehicle fleet of the US were replaced by 100 mile per gallon (mpg) plug-in hybrids, the petroleum use of the US would be reduced by approximately the amount now imported from the Mideast. Our CO 2 emissions would be reduced by 0.5 billion tons per year, or 8%. Use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) allows the limited use of liquid fuels to extend range when that is needed for convenience, taking advantage of their very high energy density, while addressing the need for fuel conservation during the typical shorter commuting trips that dominate usage.
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