Plug-in Hybrid Cars May Increase Air Pollution

New York City, NY (AHN) - First it was ethanol fuel. After being hailed as a green energy, questions are now being raised on the wisdom of blending regular fuel with ethanol. The issues raised include raising the price of food to causing more damage on the environment. A similar question is now being thrown at plug-in hybrid cars before the first commercial models roll off the production line.

Two separate reports are raising the possibility that plug-in vehicles may even worsen air pollution.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, smoke discharge from facilities that provide electricity to recharge large batteries may replace the benefit of lower emissions coming from a hybrid's tailpipe. This is particularly true for areas in the U.S. where electricity is still generated by coal, which may result to significant hike in soot and mercury emanating from the electric power plants.

Plug-in cars, once their batteries are drained, will still use gasoline to power the wheels and recharge the batteries. While a long-life battery uses less gasoline, it will use more electricity to recharge the large batteries.

Meanwhile, a study by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said emissions of plug-in automobiles have more sulfur dioxide emissions which, in large amounts, is toxic and a component of acid rain. The study estimates a hybrid's sulfur dioxide discharge to be twice that of cars running purely on gasoline and three or four times that of a regular hybrid vehicle.

Even if the bulk of the electricity used to charge the batteries of hybrid plug-in came from wind power and not coal-fired plants, the huge increase in sulfur dioxide emission is equally alarming, the Minnesota study said.

While the NRDC acknowledged hybrid plug-ins may have a major part in reducing global warming pollution, it stressed "as the source becomes greener, plug-in hybrids will become even more powerful tools in the fight against global warming."

The conclusion of the Minnesota study was that, "Alternative vehicles offer benefits, but no single technology currently stands out as a clear choice."

At least four major car makers are now starting to manufacture the plug-in hybrids, slated to enter the market by 2012. The four are General Motors, Toyota, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.