Impact of electric cars on national energy consumption

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980 · SAE Automot. Eng. Congr. Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6190247

Agarwal, P D

Analytical and experimental studies carried out by General Motors Corp., as well as by the University of California Lawrence Livermore Laboratory under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy, have shown that in times of gasoline shortage, an electric vehicle, even with limited range, could provide convenient transportation for most automobile trips, although it would not save primary energy resources. U.S. dependence on foreign oil could be reduced much quicker and at much lower cost by converting electric-utility boilers from oil to coal. With regard to vehicle fuel efficiency, and with petroleum as the prime energy source, an electric vehicle with nickel-zinc batteries would consume 50% more prime energy than a vehicle with an internal-combustion (IC) engine, and an electric vehicle with lead-acid batteries would consume 150% more. With coal as the prime energy source, the energy consumption of the electric vehicle with nickel-zinc batteries would be about equal to that of the IC engine vehicle, but with lead-acid batteries, its prime energy consumption would be approx. 65% greater.

• Research Organization: Gen. Mot. Corp. Res. Lab.
• OSTI ID: 6190247
• Report Number(s): CONF-800202-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: SAE Automot. Eng. Congr. Pap.; (United States) Journal Volume: 800111
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320203* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Transportation-- Land & Roadway
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330300 -- Advanced Propulsion Systems-- Electric-Powered Systems
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
BOILERS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTRACTS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTRIC-POWERED VEHICLES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
ENGINES
FUELS
GASOLINE
HEAT ENGINES
INDUSTRY
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
LEAD-ACID BATTERIES
LIQUID FUELS
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NICKEL
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USES
VEHICLES
ZINC