プラグイン・ハイブリッド車、米国での普及に高いハードル2009年04月26日 11:02（日本時間／ロイター）
写真はアプテラ社のプラグイン・ハイブリッド車。カリフォルニア州ビスタで2月13日撮影（2009年 ロイター／Mike Blake)
Posted byagf presson2009/04/27
［オーランド（米フロリダ州） 21日 ロイター］
［with english version］
次世代の環境対応車として注目されるプラグイン式のハイブリッド車。家庭のコンセントで充電できるプラグイン式の普及にはオバマ政権も力を入れる。一方で、コスト面やインフラ面が足かせとなり、米国で本格的に普及するには高いハードルがあるとみられている。Plug-in hybrid cars face high hurdles to spread in the U.S.
Plug-in hybrid cars are eco-friendly for the next generations. The Obama administration is pushing the use of plug-in hybrids cars, which can be recharged at home. On the other hand, it is said that to spread in the U.S is facing cost and infrastructure hurdles.
米エネルギー省が管轄するアルゴン国立研究所のダン・サンティニ氏は、大容量のバッテリーを搭載するプラグイン・ハイブリッドについて、動力源となる電気自体は火力発電などによって作られるものの、ガソリン車に比べて1台当たりの二酸化炭素排出量は少ないと指摘。将来的に電気が原子力発電や風力発電で賄われることになれば、プラグイン・ハイブリッド普及による温室効果ガス削減効果はさらに大きくなるという。
The big batteries allow plug-ins to depend more on electricity, the use of which emits less carbon dioxide per unit of energy than petroleum products do, even if the power comes from coal, said Dan Santini, an expert at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. If the electricity comes from nuclear or perhaps in the future from wind power, the greenhouse gas emissions reduction for plug-ins would be even greater.
The big batteries allow plug-ins to depend more on electricity, the use of which emits less carbon dioxide per unit of energy than petroleum products do, even if the power comes from coal, said Dan Santini, an expert at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. If the electricity comes from nuclear or perhaps in the future from wind power, the greenhouse gas emissions reduction for plug-ins would be even greater.
米政府はプラグイン方式の開発に力を入れており、オバマ大統領は2015年までに100万台のプラグイン・ハイブリッド車を普及させる目標を掲げている。オバマ政権が打ち出した景気対策の中には、バッテリー関連製品の製造・開発に対する総額約20億ドルの支援も含まれる。また、米ゼネラル・モーターズ（GM）が市場投入を計画するプラグイン・ハイブリッド車の「シボレー・ボルト」は、2010年後半にも市販されるとみられる。
The U.S. government is pushing development of plug-ins and President Barack Obama has set a goal to put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015. Obama's stimulus plan had $20 billion of aid for Manufacturing and development of batteries. U.S. General Motors plan to launch plug-in hybrid car "Chevrolet Volt" is expected to go on sale late the year 2010.
The U.S. government is pushing development of plug-ins and President Barack Obama has set a goal to put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015. Obama's stimulus plan had $20 billion of aid for Manufacturing and development of batteries. U.S. General Motors plan to launch plug-in hybrid car "Chevrolet Volt" is expected to go on sale late the year 2010.
しかし、高価な大容量バッテリーを搭載する「シボレー・ボルト」の販売価格は、トヨタのハイブリッド車「プリウス」に比べると約2倍の4万ドル前後になる可能性がある。プラグイン・ハイブリッド式バスでの実績があるノースカロライナ州立大学の専門家、イワン・プリチャード氏も「プラグインは完璧な解決策ではなく、最も安価にもならない」と語る。
Unfortunately, the price for the "Chevrolet Volt" which has expensive bigger batteries will run about $40,000, about double the price of a hybrid car like Toyota's "Prius". "Plug-ins are not the perfect solution, they are not going to be the cheapest," said Ewan Pritchard, the expert of North Carolina State University's Advanced Transportation Energy Center who has converted conventional buses to run as plug-in hybrids.
Unfortunately, the price for the "Chevrolet Volt" which has expensive bigger batteries will run about $40,000, about double the price of a hybrid car like Toyota's "Prius". "Plug-ins are not the perfect solution, they are not going to be the cheapest," said Ewan Pritchard, the expert of North Carolina State University's Advanced Transportation Energy Center who has converted conventional buses to run as plug-in hybrids.
また、プラグイン・ハイブリッド車の充電には4─8時間かかるが、自宅やオフィスなど、さまざまな場所にバッテリー充電ステーションが設置される必要がある。充電ステーションを販売するクーロン・テクノロジーズの創業者、リチャード・ローエンサル最高経営責任者（CEO）は、米国内にはプラグイン・ハイブリッド車を充電できるガレージのような場所がある家庭は5000万世帯しかないと指摘する。一方、米国内を走る自動車の台数は2億5000万台に上る。
In addition, plug-in hybrid cars take about four to eight hours to recharge, so they need to set battery charging stations up in many places such as at home and at office. Richard Lowenthal, founder and chief executive of Coulomb Technologies, Inc, which sells charging stations, said only 50 million homes in the United States have a place like a garage to charge a plug-in hybrid car, while there are 250 million cars in the U.S.
In addition, plug-in hybrid cars take about four to eight hours to recharge, so they need to set battery charging stations up in many places such as at home and at office. Richard Lowenthal, founder and chief executive of Coulomb Technologies, Inc, which sells charging stations, said only 50 million homes in the United States have a place like a garage to charge a plug-in hybrid car, while there are 250 million cars in the U.S.
さらに、現在最も安価なバッテリーはアジアで製造されているが、プラグイン・ハイブリッド車への乗り替えは、外国産の石油から外国産のバッテリーに交換するだけに過ぎないとの批判もある。今週オーランドで開催された代替燃料と乗り物のコンファレンスで、米著名投資家T・ブーン・ピッケンズ氏は「バッテリー車に乗り替えたとしよう。それで自分たちの助けになるかは分からない」とコメント。「サウジアラビアに原油で依存しているように、バッテリーでは中国依存になるだろう」と述べた。同氏は国内で採れる天然ガスで走る車を開発する企業に投資している。
In addition too, the best cheapest batteries are currently being manufactured in Asia, which has led to criticism that the cars simply swap an addiction on foreign oil for a need for foreign batteries. "Let's say we switch over to batteries. I don't know that we've helped ourselves," Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens told the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles conference in Orlando this week. "We'd go from being dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil to China for batteries," said Pickens, who has invested in companies to convert cars to run on domestic natural gas.
In addition too, the best cheapest batteries are currently being manufactured in Asia, which has led to criticism that the cars simply swap an addiction on foreign oil for a need for foreign batteries. "Let's say we switch over to batteries. I don't know that we've helped ourselves," Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens told the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles conference in Orlando this week. "We'd go from being dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil to China for batteries," said Pickens, who has invested in companies to convert cars to run on domestic natural gas.
一方、米国には、自動車に供給するのに十分な電力はある。GMの電力インフラの専門家ブリッタ・グロス氏は、国内の発電所には、エアコン需要が急増する夏の一定期間を除けば、プラグイン・ハイブリッド車を充電するだけの余力はあるとみている。また、プログレス・エナジーのマイク・ウォータース氏は、供給者と消費者間で各種情報をやり取りする送電網「スマートグリッド」が使えるようになれば、電力会社からは課金情報も送られるようになり、電力需要の高い時間帯にプラグイン・ハイブリッド車を充電するのは避けられるとの見方を示す。
The good news is that the United States should have plenty of electricity capacity to power the cars. Britta Gross, an electrical infrastructure expert for GM, said power plants have enough spare capacity to charge plug-ins on all but about the dozen hottest days of the year when air conditioning demand soars. Mike Waters, Progress Energy said a "smart grid," or power transmission system that can send information from power plants to customers, could soon send pricing signals to plug-in owners that would encourage them to stop charging when peak power demand nears.
The good news is that the United States should have plenty of electricity capacity to power the cars. Britta Gross, an electrical infrastructure expert for GM, said power plants have enough spare capacity to charge plug-ins on all but about the dozen hottest days of the year when air conditioning demand soars. Mike Waters, Progress Energy said a "smart grid," or power transmission system that can send information from power plants to customers, could soon send pricing signals to plug-in owners that would encourage them to stop charging when peak power demand nears.
プラグイン・ハイブリッド車の普及に向けてハードルは高いものの、台数が増えるに従い、問題を解決する企業も出てくるとみられる。ノースカロライナ州立大学のプリチャード氏は「ポイントは実際にプラグイン・ハイブリッド車を走行させること。そうすれば問題がどこにあるか分かるし、そこから進むこともできる」と語っている。
And though the hurdles are high to spread plug-in hybrid cars, some companies could clear problems as more of the cars are built. "The point is to get these plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road so we can see where the problems are and move from there," Pritchard, North Carolina State University said.
And though the hurdles are high to spread plug-in hybrid cars, some companies could clear problems as more of the cars are built. "The point is to get these plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road so we can see where the problems are and move from there," Pritchard, North Carolina State University said.
©Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.
（対訳／agf press）
