Is electric the road ahead?

The Irish Government"s recently announced target of having 10 per cent of all registered vehicles running on electric power by 2020 seems a little far-fetched. This means converting more than 250,000+ vehicles from being run on petrol or diesel currently to being powered by a full electric power system. As part of the incentive to get interest in the proposal, the Government will be offering a 100 per cent write-off for businesses using these vehicles in a new accelerated capital allowances scheme. The move to electric cars is not that simple but, more crucially, is it the right direction to go? On a worldwide scale, the debate on alternative fuels for cars ranges from issues of bio-fuels to electric cars, hybrids and to hydrogen fuel. The car companies are working on all four fronts, some with more success than others. So, as a nation, is Ireland Inc moving in one direction with the emphasis on electric power to the exclusion of the others, or do we need to be heavily involved in this aspect when car developers are working flat out to achieve minimum emission goals on their own? Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) estimates CO2 levels in the Republic could be cut by 350,000 tonnes if the target of 10 per cent of car-owners switching to electric models over the next few years is met. This comes at a time when the EU has determined that the average CO2 emissions from new cars must be slashed to 130g/km by 2015. At present, electric vehicles are exempt from vehicle registration tax (VRT). They are liable for motor tax at the lowest rate, since the tax is calculated on the basis of carbon emissions. Electric vehicles rely on chemical energy stored within battery rechargeable packs alongside electric motors in place of traditional engines. They produce no exhaust fumes and can be considered to use minimal energy, if charged from renewable sources. The main downside to electric cars at this point is their limited availability and their range. Most electric cars have a low top speed (though they are quick to accelerate) and recharging times can make them unsuitable for longer journeys. It is hoped that, as electric cars become more popular, there will be an influx of recharging points established across the Ireland"s cities and towns. The introduction of lithium-ion batteries has also extended the range electric cars offer significantly. The hybrid cars, on the other hand, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic IMA and Lexus range, combine an electric motor with a traditional engine so a car produces zero emissions when running at low speeds. Honda offers a main rechargeable version of the hybrid car in some markets. The electric motor for hybrids is driven by batteries which receive their charge during regenerative braking and from the petrol or diesel engine. It is estimated that hybrids improve fuel consumption by around 30 per cent. There are two primary reasons why hybrid cars have been introduced to the market - to assist the environment by reducing emissions and to cut motoring costs by reducing reliance on oil. On European roads, it has been estimated that petrol-hybrids can cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 25 per cent per mile. In the case of a vehicle such as the Honda Insight, which has CO2 emissions below 80g/km, lifecycle carbon emissions are actually slashed to half those of a traditional conventional car. Hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions can be reduced by as much as 90 per cent combined with a 15 to 20 per cent improvement in fuel economy. Hybrid cars are 'ready to go" in that they meet the demand of today"s society without compromise. The biggest issue with hybrid cars is that they are generally more expensive than conventional cars. Despite tax breaks, the initial retail price can be off-putting. Though money can be saved over the lifetime of the vehicle, a large initial outlay puts hybrids out of reach for many drivers. How do electric cars work? In the majority of electric cars, there is a single electric motor connected to the wheels through a transmission. Some electric cars use an electric motor in each of the wheels themselves. All of the power to run the vehicle comes from a battery. Electric motors are used to slow the vehicle and pass energy back to the battery. When the electric motors are used within the wheels, there is no transmission, making the car lighter and more fuel-efficient. Some environmentally conscious people consider electric cars to be the best car option available. Other critics argue that electric cars merely displace the environmental problem. This is because oil, coal or gas-powered electric power stations are used to produce the electricity and they are not always that efficient at doing so. The theory is that renewable sources of energy will be used to charge these electric cars. This is unlikely to happen in Ireland, even with our exceptional wind energy resources. Renewable energy currently supplies about two per cent of Ireland"s energy. This is against the background where, over the past 15 years, there has been a staggering 230 per cent growth in electricity use. The hydrogen answer Hydrogen is considered by some as the fuel of the future. This is because of its zero carbon emissions halo and because, like wind or solar, it is infinitely renewable. Stored hydrogen mixes with oxygen to produce water as the only emission. A hydrogen car has a hydrogen storage tank and a fuel cell stack. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell stack, where energy from the reaction is converted into electric power used to propel the vehicle. Effectively, the fuel cells operate like a battery. Hydrogen technology has taken a long time to reach the production stage, due to various technical and practical problems. One problem has been how to store hydrogen? It takes up more space than the equivalent amount of petrol required to cover the same distance. Most hydrogen is currently steamed from natural gas as this is seen as the easiest option. Environmental groups have raised concerns that obtaining hydrogen by burning fossil fuels and natural gas will counter the benefits of hydrogen as an emissions-free fuel. The fuel-cell technology which converts the stored hydrogen into electricity has proven to be another hydrogen headache. It has taken a long time to refine the technology to make it commercially viable. Until recently, a hydrogen car cost about 20 times more than a traditional petrol car to manufacture. That is about to change. Over time, like with most alternative fuels, the bigger issue will be establishing a hydrogen fuel supply infrastructure to support transport running on it.