Electro-drive technologies offer an increasingly important solution for reducing dependence on foreign oil and lowering transportation fuel costs.
Just look at the following data from the U.S. Department of Energy:
- U.S. transportation relies on petroleum for 95% of its fuel.
- Transportation remains our biggest petroleum user, accounting for 67% of petroleum consumption.
- Since the early 1980s, oil use for U.S. transportation has been growing at an average annual rate of 2%.
With the support of leading utilities like Southern California Edison in ensuring a safe, reliable, efficient and cost-effective electric supply for use by grid-connecting electro-drive technologies, these numbers can change.
Consider the results alone from SCE’s fleet of almost 300 electric-powered vehicles – the nation’s largest and most successful fleet of pure battery-electric vehicles. Through mid-2006, our electric vehicle fleet had driven more than 12 million miles, and in the process had saved more than 610,000 gallons of gasoline and more than $1.3 million in fuel costs (the difference between electricity costs and the higher equivalent gasoline costs).
In fact, more than 300,000 on- and non-road electro-drive units already operate in California. Looking to the future, a report by TIAX LLC (a collaborative research and development firm) finds that use of electric transportation technologies is expected to reach 1 million by 2020. These technologies are expected to displace up to 380 million gallons of gasoline (gasoline gallon equivalent) annually by that year. That’s the amount of gas used annually by 605,000 2005 model year cars!
Another report (by A.D. Little) indicates the energy demand from grid-connected electro-drive technologies will increase from about 850 megawatts today to more than 2,000 megawatts in a decade or so. But the growing use of electro-drive doesn’t have to require more power generation facilities.
Data shows that California’s approximately 20,000 megawatts of excess off-peak (nighttime) electricity capacity would allow the charging of millions of electro-drive technologies without the need for new power generation facilities.
This off-peak charging offers domestically produced, clean fuel, especially given SCE’s role as the nation’s leading purchaser of renewable energy. And nationally, off-peak electricity on a cents-per-mile or other gasoline equivalent measure costs about 25% of the price of gasoline today, making electricity as a fuel much easier on the pocketbook.
Save Energy, Save Money
SCE’s energy efficiency and load management transportation programs help customers save energy and money by using electricity more efficiently and shifting use to off-peak periods. These programs are designed to help SCE minimize the electric system impacts of increasing on- and non-road electro-drive use.
At the same time, like SCE’s overall energy efficiency and load management strategies, our electro-drive work supports California’s energy and economic well-being by reducing electricity demand during high-use periods.
In addition, we work closely with the electro-drive industry on infrastructure issues such as the technology to manage electro-drive energy usage, and codes and standards to ensure the safety and efficiency of charging systems and equipment.
