Filed under: EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Legislation and Policy, USA, Washington DC Auto Show



One day after announcing the Workplace Charging Challenge expansion for EV Everywhere at the Washington Auto Show, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced some big personal news: he will resign, giving President Obama one more chair to fill in his second term. In his 3,700-word resignation letter that was made public today (and available below), Chu only briefly touched on electric vehicles (and only indirectly alluded to hydrogen in the phrase "science that could lead to the direct conversion of solar energy into transportation fuels"), but we know plug-ins have been on his mind.

Following the WCC announcement yesterday, Chu spoke to reporters at the DC show and answered questions about the future of plug-in vehicles, more Advanced Vehicle Technology loans and how sometimes we need to remember that gasoline stinks.

When asked if we will still get to a million EVs by 2015, Chu said, "It's ambitious, but we'll see what happens ... I understood that the Chevy Volt has sold 24,000 since 2011 and the Nissan Leaf has remarkable price reductions that we're very, very excited about. With the current [US and California] subsidies, this actually puts it under $20,000. But, as I said before, we need $20,000 with no subsidies by 2022. This would be very exciting. When you get close to that, even $25,000, the market will speak for itself and so that's why we're so focused on improving the technology."
The cost of all alternative powertrain technologies will come down, Chu said, so much so that, "mild hybrids will almost become the de facto. Stopping your engine when you're at a traffic light, for example. I'd be a little surprised if, within 5-10 years, 80 percent of the new car fleet in the world doesn't do this."

What about affordability and getting new car shoppers to buy EVs? "Some people say, 'unless you get every single feature of an internal combustion engine car, the customers won't accept that. Every single feature? Let's talk about features you could not get with an internal combustion car or a normal hybrid. I look forward to the day when I have a smart phone of some kind and, two minutes before I get into the car, I push a little button and say, 'make my car cool' or 'make my car warm,' because most of the trips are 5-10 minutes and you're either freezing or you're sweating for the first couple minutes. With an EV, even a mild plug-in, you can condition the thing before you get in. For those of you that actually pour gasoline into your cars, you might, at some time, have spilled gasoline on your hands or clothes, and when I do that, my hands stink of gasoline. So, look at all the other features."
Chu was non-committal on further loans being made under the Advanced Vehicle Technology Loan Program, but he did say, "We used to be the undisputed leader in the auto industry. We were not at the beginning. We didn't invent the internal combustion engine, we didn't invent the automobile. That was done in Europe. But very shortly after that, we took the lead and held it for roughly a half century. So, that program is an important program and if we can use it to actually have sustainable businesses that succeed as something to bring back and retain our leadership in the future, we will look at all applications."

Oh, and despite their current expense, hydrogen fuel cells remain part of the portfolio, Chu said, which is why the DOE "will continue to support the fuel cell program. I think in the last year or two, I have been saying this is an important technology and we want to continue to support the research. Fuel cells can be incredibly reliable. There are many fuel cells in buses that have been running in buses for ten year, rock solid. But our target is a $20,000 personal vehicle that can compete with a 45- or even 50-mile-per-gallon internal combustion car."Continue reading DOE Secretary Steven Chu resigns, talks about future of plug-in vehicles

DOE Secretary Steven Chu resigns, talks about future of plug-in vehicles originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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