Friends of the Earth has produced a toolkit, Plug-In the Nation: A Guide to Building a Market for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, for interested citizens and policymakers to advance the production and adoption of ultra fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in their local communities. Our toolkit is a summary of effective strategies interested groups can take to promote plug-ins and is intended to facilitate the growth of plug-in advocacy groups nationwide.
If you are interested in helping promote plug-ins in your community, city or state, become a plug-in partner and review our toolkit for a wide range of steps you can take to fight climate change and make a difference by bringing plug-in electric vehicles online near you.
To get a sneak preview of FoE's toolkit, you can view it below by scrolling down. Click here to view the complete toolkit.
Please see more information on Friends of the Earth's own local campaign, Plug-In Bay Area, to promote plug-in vehicles.
Our toolkit is a clean vehicle advocate’s roadmap for building a grassroots
campaign to promote one of the most efficient, near-term alternatives to gas-powered
transportation: the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). With
widespread adoption, plug-in hybrids can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from the transportation sector and help usher in a low-carbon
transportation future.
From the Senate floor to the kitchen table, Americans across the country are
dedicating themselves to reducing oil consumption and flat-lining global warming
emissions. There is an extremely effective grassroots movement underway to
promote plug-in vehicle technology; this movement has made dramatic strides in
educating the public about plug-in hybrids, convincing policy makers that plug-in
technology is a viable near-term solution, and convincing automakers that there
is a strong market for these vehicles. Major automakers, after originally scoffing
at plug-ins as infeasible and unlikely to sell, have begun announcing plans to
produce plug-in vehicles between 2009 and 2010. Government officials are
incorporating this new technology into greenhouse gas reduction programs and
alternative fuel and vehicle initiatives. Importantly, consumers are beginning to
understand the promise these vehicles hold for reducing their fuel costs and
carbon footprints.
The next few years will be critical in sustaining this significant forward
momentum. We, as consumers and advocates, must be knowledgeable about
the impacts of our vehicle choices and continue driving the auto industry and
government entities toward solutions that truly address one of today’s most
pressing issues -- global climate change. Thanks to the grassroots leadership of
students, community groups, church leaders, teachers, mayors, engineers and
individuals like you, the need to solve our energy and climate crises is at the
forefront of national agenda. The challenge we face now is putting awareness
into action; solutions are only as good as their implementation.
Automakers and policymakers, as well as the public, will have to work quickly for
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to take the place of gas-guzzlers within a
timeframe that adequately meets our window of opportunity to reverse the effects
of oil dependence and the onset of global warming. The best way to ensure that
these ultra-efficient cars are prioritized in new vehicle production is to
demonstrate widespread public demand. If we establish a network of groups
across the country working locally and regionally to generate public, private, and
legislative support for plug-in hybrids, we will help jumpstart a low-carbon
transportation future and avert the worst of climate change impacts.
As long as we continue to rely on personal vehicles for mobility, we must seek
ways to reduce vehicle oil usage and greenhouse gas emissions by improving
the technologies that power our cars. Plug-in hybrids offer a timely first step in
the process of weaning the national vehicle fleet (nearly 250 million vehicles) off
of oil. With continued development of electric transportation technology, we will
be able to eliminate the gasoline engine altogether and run our cars on pure
electricity from renewable sources!
Regular hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, are more efficient than regular cars,
but they are still predominately dependent on petroleum to power the engine. A
plug-in hybrid sets itself apart from a conventional hybrid in that it has more
powerful batteries which can be charged from a standard 110V outlet. With this
addition, you can fuel your car with a cleaner, cheaper, domestic fuel: electricity.
Driving a plug-in car is like having an additional fuel tank that you always use first
-- only instead of filling up at the gas station, you fill up at home by plugging your
car into an electrical outlet at an equivalent cost of under $1 per gallon. Your
local driving is powered by electricity, but you still have unlimited range from a
flexible fuel back-up engine that can run on gasoline, waste veggie oil, or other
alternative fuels. Plug-in cars are also ultra fuel efficient, achieving over 100
miles per gallon (on average)!
Numerous studies have reviewed the “well-to-wheel” emissions of plug-in
hybrids. This data overwhelmingly indicates that plug-in hybrids are our best
near-term option for dramatically reducing the global warming impacts of our
transportation sector. A study from the California Air Resources Board shows
that a PHEV, with only a 20-mile all-electric range and charged from the relatively
clean California grid, emits at least 62% lower greenhouse gases than
conventional cars.3 Even on a national grid, which is approximately 50% coalpowered,
plug-in hybrids offer 40% reductions in global warming pollution over
an equivalent gasoline powered vehicle.i Importantly, as the grid gets greener,
so will electric cars, which means that incorporating more wind and solar power
into our electricity grid mix is integral to making the most of this important
technology.
