Clean New Baseload Generation

Coal-to-Liquids & Coal-to-Gas

Carbon Capture & Storage

Plug-in Electric Hybrids

• Plug-In Vehicles Will Drive Away Our Oil Addiction
• Electric-Powered Cars Enjoy Public Support

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Fast Fact
The United States spends about $700 billion a year to import oil.

PLUG-in Electric Hybrids

A New Fleet of Plug-In Vehicles Will Drive Away our Addiction to Oil

The sporty Tesla Roadster is among a new breed of clean electric cars. Every major global automaker has announced plans to develop plug-in electric hybrids, which are expected to be available as soon as 2010.

Talk about the ultimate driving machine: The new generation of plug-in electric hybrid vehicles offers a mileage rating of up to 100 miles per gallon.  They’re quiet.  They’re quick.  And they can drive 40 miles without ever using a drop of gas.  They get about twice the fuel economy of a conventional vehicle and have a total driving range of some 400 miles. 

Forget about waiting in lines at the pump to fill up the tank. Simply pull into the garage each night and plug into the wall using affordable electricity from coal.  The total daily cost to refuel? About $1 at current rates, according to the non-profit group, Plug-In America.       

Considering that half the cars on America’s roads are driven 25 miles a day or less, a new fleet of plug-in electric cars could eliminate gasoline use in the daily commute of millions of Americans.  And that’s where the rubber meets the road:  Plug-ins that average 40 electric-driven miles could power more than 60 percent of the total annual miles traveled by the typical American driver.

Commercializing plug-in electric hybrids powered by coal-fueled electricity with carbon capture would result in 60 percent less greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional vehicles.  Replacing 60 percent of light- and medium-duty vehicles would reduce gas consumption nearly 4 million barrels per day by 2050 or nearly 20 percent of current daily use, according to the National Coal Council.  

The Council also estimates that a single 600 megawatt coal-fueled power plant could produce enough electricity to charge 2 million plug-in electric hybrids driving 12,000 miles per year.  Another study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory concludes that nearly three-quarters of the nation’s light vehicles could be recharged with the existing utility infrastructure if the vehicles were plugged in at night, which would daily displace an estimated 6.2 million barrels of oil or 52 percent of current imports.