Low-Carbon Cruising is Here

“The Drive to a Clean Energy Future” is a workshop for Davisites who are looking for dramatic ways to reduce their carbon footprint – such as a 90 mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrid vehicle that gets its power from the sun. They could be here very soon.

Starting this coming spring, a slick new solar-powered electric vehicle will be hitting the streets of Europe. Italian car designer Pininfarina and French battery manufacturer Bolloré have officially announced that the five door Blue Car hatchback is now ready for production.

Prof. Andy Frank of UC Davis, the internationally known inventor of the plug-in hybrid technology, will be keynote speaker at the workshop Thursday, Jan. 28, 7:30 pm to 9:30 p.m. at City Hall Community Chambers, 23 Russell Blvd.

Frank, who has done so much in academia to deliver better and cleaner transportation, is now spending much of his time in the private sector as chief technology officer of Efficient Drivetrains, Inc., a Silicon Valley firm which is improving plug-in hybrid technology

While Prof. Frank thinks plug-in hybrids are the most immediate option for widespread acceptance in the marketplace because they solve the “range anxiety” problem: worry that one charge will not get you to where you are going. Plug-in hybrids offer unlimited range because they switch to gasoline when needed.  But the workshop will also consider the full range of electric vehicles. Dahlia Garas, program manager of the UCD Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, will cover the full range of electric models which are coming. This month’s Automobile Show in Detroit made it clear that the global auto industry is betting its future on electric and highly efficient vehicles.

Electric vehicles will have to be recharged in your garage (and perhaps work and elsewhere). And Davis is a hot market for roof-top photovoltaic solar arrays. Prof. Frank says the technology to tap this solar energy for recharging your car is readily available. Dean Newberry, a leading solar contractor in town and a member of the city’s Natural Resources Commission, will talk about this potential.

Does 90 miles per gallon seem hyperbolic? It could be even more, says Prof. Frank. An electric driving range of 40 miles is reasonable for today’s battery technology. So if your commute is less than 40 miles round trip, you might need gasoline (or biofuel) only when you go on road trips. My Prius only gets me to the end of my drive way on electricity.  The prospect of perpetual cheap “gasoline” — the electricity costs only a few cents for a gallon equivalent – might be another factor that will drive this market. An environmental conscience might be still another. You want to know you are generating clean solar energy on your roof, not coal or gas.

Many of you have reduced your energy use so much that you pay the lowest tier rates of PG&E, thus making the investment in solar not so attractive as a business proposition. But as a substitute for gasoline? Different story. Favorable financing would also help. For example, long-term low interest financing that could be passed onto future owners of your house and commercial building is currently one proposal being considered by the city. It would be an optional assessment on your tax bill but no one else’s.

Mitch Sears, the city’s sustainability manager, will talk about how this and other proposals of the Climate Action Team for the plan that is currently under discussion by city commissions.  This will be a fully interactive audience participation event. Jenifer Segar, who has organized this series of climate workshop for the city and the Valley Climate Center, advises people to get there early to get a seat. “We’ve had almost full houses at previous events.”.