Update as of July 2007

The new PIER funded Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis, under Director Tom Turrentine launched in February with the first meeting with CIEE and hiring of the program manager, Dahlia Garas.  The first year the PHEV Center is funding three distinct research projects at UC Davis.  In addition, two research proposals were accepted by CARB for additional PHEV research.

The first task is “Consumer Demand and Energy Use Field Research” lead by primary investigator Dr. Ken Kurani.  The goals of this task are to assess optimal PHEV design parameters based on consumer demand and energy use patterns for electricity charging and gasoline consumption, and stage and assess real world and simulated use of PHEVs.

This research will further develop advanced analytical methods and will strengthen the knowledge base for informed transportation policy and future decision-making by building upon methodologies developed at ITS-Davis that have successfully been used to study advanced vehicle markets.  The first Prius for conversion and use in this project was purchased and has already been delivered to UC Davis, and we are in the process of developing a contract to convert it to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.  Rusty Heffner has already begun interviewing drivers of conversion PHEVs in California, and his study results are currently in draft form.  The first PHEV PhD student, Jonn Axsen (Jonn received $20,000 Cn scholarship to study PHEVS from Canadian Government), began developing the survey for use in the PHEV Consumer research study in June.

The CARB funding will add onto this project allowing the PHEV Center to convert 10 vehicles to PHEVs. These vehicles will be placed in up to 100 select households and businesses for periods of up to 6 weeks, over a two year timeframe. The goal is to understand consumer response to such vehicles, in particular the recharging and driving habits relative to these new types of vehicles as well as preference formation.

The second research project, lead by Dr. Andrew Burke, is “PHEV System and Charging Technology Evaluation”.  The goal of this task is to perform research that will advance PHEV system and charging technology modeling science so as to provide sufficient information on vehicle performance and cost comparisons of a wide range of plug-in hybrid powertrain and battery options relative to conventional ICE, battery-electric, and charge sustaining hybrid vehicles.  This information will be applied by vehicle developers as well as used to inform policy makers.  UC Davis has been actively searching for an experienced vehicle modeling researcher to assist with this project, but so far has been unsuccessful in hiring.  Graduate student Bryan Jungers will begin working on vehicle modeling during late summer.

The second CARB funded project at the PHEV Research Center is also under the direction of Dr. Burke, working with EPRI and SCE.  This project will focus on determining the characteristics of an emerging Li-ion battery, the Lithium-titanate battery currently in development by Altairnano.  Cell test data from the manufacturer shows that this battery has cycle life, safety, and temperature characteristics superior to those of traditional Li-ion batteries.  Intensive testing of cells, modules and vehicle-sized battery pack will be managed by EPRI, with various stages of testing being conducted by UC Davis, Altairnano, and Southern California Edison.  A researcher to assist with the battery testing at UC Davis has already been hired and began working in June.  The results from the li-ion battery tests will be incorporated into the vehicle simulations models as they are available.

The third research project scheduled for year one of the PHEV Research Center is “Lifecycle Emissions Analysis and Social-Cost Analysis” lead by primary investigator Dr. Mark Delucchi.  The goal of this task is to analyze the lifetime social-costs and lifecycle emissions of PHEVs compared to other advanced light-duty vehicles, providing important information for policy makers regarding the potential contribution of PHEVs to meeting California’s transportation energy priorities.  In the cost analysis, manufacturing, retail, and full lifetime costs will be estimated. (Lifetime costs include all initial costs spread out over their life, plus all periodic costs. Social costs are equal to private plus the monetary value of “external” costs that society bears.) In the emissions analysis, lifecycle emissions of air-pollutant emissions and greenhouse-gases from the use of PHEVs will be estimated.  Initial results of the consumer behavior and PHEV powertrain modeling projects will be integrated into these lifecycle models.  The process of adding of PHEVs to existing lifecycle vehicle models has already begun.  Dr. Marshall Miller was hired on to project for four months to assist Dr. Delucchi with data inputs to model.

Early in the development of the PHEV Research Center, Dr. Turrentine visited the various institutions in the US conducting PHEV research, including ANL, SCE, SCAQMD, and SMUD, and conducted meetings with PG&E and INL.  In May, the PHEV Research Center conducted the first Advisory Council meeting, and successfully identified areas of research in which the PHEV Center could effectively contribute. Research recommendations from the first Advisory Council were provided to the CEC for use in developing AB1007.