Federal Energy and Fleet Management: Plug-in Vehicles Offer Potential Benefits, But High Costs and Limited Information Could Hinder Integration into the Federal Fleet

Abstract

Increasing the use of plug-ins could result in environmental and other benefits, but realizing these benefits depends on several factors. Because plugins are powered at least in part by electricity, they could significantly reduce oil consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. For plug-ins to realize their full potential, electricity would need to be generated from lower emission fuels such as nuclear and renewable energy rather than the fossil fuels coal and natural gas used most often to generate electricity today. However, new nuclear plants and renewable energy sources can be controversial and expensive. In addition, research suggests that for plug-ins to be cost-effective relative to gasoline vehicles the price of batteries must comedown significantly and gasoline prices must be high relative to electricity.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2009
Accession Number
AD1181084

Entities

People

  • Mark Gaffigan
  • Susan A. Fleming

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alternative Fuels
  • Business Administration
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electric Motors
  • Electric Vehicles
  • Energy
  • Energy Consumption
  • Environmental Protection
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Greenhouse Gases
  • Hybrid Electric Vehicles
  • Internal Combustion Engines
  • Law
  • Natural Gas
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Engineering.
  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Systems Analysis and Design