IEEE Electrification Magazine - December 2013 - 12

the scenario in which plug-in hybrid or range-extended
evs incorporating moderate-sized batteries for local electric travel and small ices for long-distance travel are used
offers an exceptionally attractive and efficient single-vehicle
travel solution. this approach has the potential to reduce
petroleum consumption and the associated pollution by
as much as 80% per vehicle, dramatically reducing the
overall cost of energy consumed by transportation. this
strategy also reduces or delays infrastructure investment
in grid upgrades and charging stations, which are required
for all-evs with higher-capacity batteries, while using the
strengths of the current and emerging technologies to
their fullest.

Summary
most currently available conventional automobiles have
very inefficient propulsion systems that waste most of the
fuel burned for forward motion. the wasted fuel contributes to air pollution and has a high economic cost. electrically powered vehicles can improve transportation efficiency,
dramatically lowering fuel consumption and reducing
emissions in the process. Yet, burning some fossil fuel to
extend the range of current battery storage is a practical
option that is cost effective. plug-in hybrid and rangeextended ev designs that draw much of their energy from
the grid are a great way to use energy from the grid, particularly if their battery packs are charged overnight. this
approach allows for gradual electric utility grid infrastructure upgrades over a period of a decade or two to accommodate a gradual shift toward electricity as the primary
fuel for transportation. plug-in hybrids also avoid the need
for fast charging during the day because they can burn
small amounts of fossil fuels to fill the gap beyond the battery capacity instead of stopping for a rapid charge at peak
power loads. plug-in hybrid architectures best blend the
usage of electric motors with smaller, more efficient ices to
achieve very efficient and sensible transportation solutions
that appeal to consumers.
While consumers often make purchase decisions based
on emotional considerations or, perhaps, on perceptions
based on their past experiences, consumers and vehicle
designers alike should think beyond the notion of style and
luxury to optimize a broader set of considerations related to
efficiencies, economic impact, and the vehicle's impact on
its infrastructure. Keep in mind that roughly 1 billion vehicles are in use on our planet today, and any inefficiency,
multiplied by a billion, results in a huge waste. Wellthought-out designs can result in improved efficiency of
our transportation system globally and represent a huge
economic opportunity for those who view and understand
the impact of our global transportation system on the

I E E E E l e c t r i f i c ati o n M agaz ine / december 2013

health of our planet and our way of life. a growing number
of people are being excluded from personal transportation,
either by economics or increased urbanization, but the utilization of the available technologies and better design strategies offers the promise of better transportation solutions
for generations to come.

For Further reading
a. emadi, "transportation 2.0: electrified-enabling cleaner,
greener, and more affordable domestic electricity to
replace petroleum," IEEE Power Energy Mag., vol. 9, no. 4,
pp. 18-29, July/aug. 2011.
a. emadi, Handbook of Automotive Power Electronics
and Motor Drives. new York: marcel dekker, 2005.

Electrification Roadmap: Revolutionizing Transportation and Achieving Energy Security, electrification coalition, nov. 2009.
a. emadi, s. s. Williamson, and a. Khaligh, "power electronics intensive solutions for advanced electric, hybrid
electric, and fuel cell vehicular power systems," IEEE
Trans. Power Electron., vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 567-577, may 2006.
s. m. lukic, J. cao, r. c. bansal, F. rodriguez, and a.
emadi, "energy storage systems for automotive applications," IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 55, no. 6, pp. 2258-
2267, June 2008.
s. g. Wirasingha and a. emadi, "classification and
review of control strategies for plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles," IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol., vol. 60, no. 1,
pp. 111-122, Jan. 2011.

biographies
Randy Reisinger (reisinr@mcmaster.ca) is the industry
liaison manager for the canada excellence research chair
in hybrid powertrain program at mcmaster university in
hamilton, ontario, canada. in 2006, he was senior advisor
for calcars.org, promoting the first plug-in prius developed by calcars's ron gremban. in 2010, he cofounded
sugar rides inc., which built an 800-mi/gal-equivalent ev
prototype, then participated in the automotive X-prize
competition with finalist team tW4Xp.
Ali Emadi (emadi@mcmaster.ca) is the canada excellence research chair in hybrid powertrain and director
of the mcmaster institute for automotive research and
technology at mcmaster university in hamilton, ontario,
canada. before joining mcmaster university, he was the
harris perlstein endowed chair professor of engineering
and director of the electric power and power electronics
center and grainger laboratories at illinois institute of
technology, chicago.

http://www.calcars.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification Magazine - December 2013