EPRI and Argonne
Assess Commercial Viability of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
The Electric
Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Argonne National Laboratory are engaged in a three-year collaborative agreement to conduct
detailed analysis of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) aimed at assessing
the commercial feasibility of this technology for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The EPRI and Argonne analysis evaluates PHEVs, hybrids and conventional
vehicles, assessing them from environmental, cost, design and marketing perspectives.
The engineering and technical studies are conducted at the two organization's
respective research facilities in California and Illinois
and involve the participation of some of the world's leading transportation
experts.
The objective of the multi-year research project is to provide a balanced
and authoritative study of both the advantages of and the challenges to the
design and commercial production of PHEVs. An assessment of potential social
benefits of PHEVs, including reductions in imported petroleum-based fuels,
enhancement of American energy security and air quality improvement, are
key components of the study.
The research project, which is funded by DOE's Office
of FreedomCAR
and Vehicle Technologies, is part of ongoing formative
research that began in 2001 with the EPRI study, "Comparing the Benefits and
Impacts of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Options," and the Argonne study "Hybrid
Electric Vehicle Technology Assessment." This project looks carefully
at the effect of PHEVs on the nation's economy, and their viability from an
industrial and manufacturing perspective.
November 2006
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