Google Power

Some people are scared of Google's growing power.  But this is kinda cool:

Internet search giant Google (GOOG) hopes to speed the development of plug-in hybrid cars by giving away millions of dollars to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-ins to market faster.

But the money, announced Monday afternoon at Google headquarters in Mountain Valley, Calif., totals just $1 million so far with another $10 million pledged, which might not be enough to move the needle.

Auto development is crushingly expensive, especially when it involves the kind of advanced battery and powertrain technology used in plug-in hybrids.

Though automakers are tight-lipped about what they spend, bringing a plug-in hybrid to market could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Google is not going to get into the business of building and selling hybrid electrics. Our focus is on accelerating their developing through research, testing and investment," says Google.org's Dan Reicher, who was assistant energy secretary under former President Bill Clinton. Google.org is the philanthropic arm of Google.com.

General Motors is the only major automaker that has announced specific plans to market plug-in vehicles, as soon as 2010.
...
The federal government plans to spend $28 million on plug-in component research in fiscal 2008...

Plug-in hybrids have bigger-capacity batteries than regular gasoline-electric hybrids, so they can go farther using the battery-powered electric motor before they need to switch on the gasoline engine for more power or to recharge the batteries. Plug-ins, as the name implies, can be recharged by plugging them into normal household current, thus trimming even more the need for the internal-combustion engine.
...
Lithium-ion battery packs have their own issues, beyond being costly. In sizes big enough for automotive uses, they generate considerable heat and require special cooling. And all cells in the battery pack have to be operating identically or fail-safe systems shut down the battery pack.

Nevertheless, "the technology is ready," and needs only a commitment from an automaker to use significant numbers of lithium-ion batteries, says Wright, who was in charge of the Escape hybrid program at Ford Motor before the JCS position.

JCS is a joint venture between U.S. component supplier Johnson Controls and French battery maker Saft. GM has contracted with JCS to develop lithium-ion for GM's Saturn Vue Greenline SUV, a plug-in that would go about 10 miles solely on battery power before the internal-combustion engine kicked in.
...
Other automakers are researching plug-in hybrids, and some individuals and companies are modifying hybrids into plug-in vehicles. Google says it has a small fleet of Toyota Prius and Ford Escape hybrids modified into plug-ins, and is recording 74 miles per gallon, vs. 41 mpg from its ordinary Prius hybrids.

Let a thousand search results bloom.

It is pretty sad, though, that such paltry amounts are being pledged to study alternatives.  We need more massive, concerted efforts to solve these problems and there still seems to be no real sense of urgency about it.  Perhaps it's too little, too late...

ntodd