Plug-in electric vehicles are coming. Major automakers plan to
commercialize their first models soon, while Israel and Denmark
have ambitious plans to electrify large portions of their vehicle
fleets. No technology has greater potential to end the United
States' crippling dependence on oil, which leaves the nation
vulnerable to price shocks, supply disruptions, environmental
degradation, and national security threats including terrorism.
What does the future hold for this critical technology, and what
should the U.S. government do to promote it?
Hybrid vehicles now number more than one million on America's
roads, and they are in high demand from consumers. The next major
technological step is the plug-in electric vehicle. It combines an
internal combustion engine and electric motor, just as hybrids do.
But unlike their precursors, PEVs can be recharged from standard
electric outlets, meaning the vehicles would no longer be dependent
on oil. Widespread growth in the use of PEVs would dramatically
reduce oil dependence, cut driving costs and reduce pollution from
vehicles. National security would be enhanced, as reduced oil
dependence decreases the leverage and resources of petroleum
exporters.
Brookings fellow David Sandalow heads up an authoritative team
of experts including former government officials, private-sector
analysts, academic experts, and nongovernmental advocates. Together
they explain the current landscape for PEVs: the technology, the
economics, and the implications for national security and the
environment. They examine how the national interest could be served
by federal promotion and investment in PEVs. For example, can tax
or procurement policy advance the cause of PEVs? Should the public
sector contribute to greater research and development? Should the
government insist on PEVs to replenish its huge fleet of official
vehicles?
Plug-in electric vehicles are coming. But how soon, in what
numbers, and to what effect? Federal policies in the years ahead
will go a long way toward answering those questions. David Sandalow
and his colleagues examine what could be done in that regard, as
well as what should be done.
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