1st Edition

Battery Technology for Electric Vehicles Public science and private innovation

By Albert Link, Alan O'Connor, Troy Scott Copyright 2015

    Electric drive vehicles (EDVs) are seen on American roads in increasing numbers. Related to this market trend and critical for it to increase are improvements in battery technology. Battery Technology for Electric Vehicles examines in detail at the research support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the development of nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries used in EDVs. With public support comes accountability of the social outcomes associated with public investments.

    The book overviews DOE investments in advanced battery technology, documents the adoption of these batteries in EDVs on the road, and calculates the economic benefits associated with these improved technologies. It provides a detailed global evaluation of the net social benefits associated with DOEs investments, the results of the benefit-to-cost ratio of over 3.6-to-1, and the life-cycle approach that allows adopted EDVs to remain on the road over their expected future life, thus generating economic and environmental health benefits into the future.

    1. Introduction  2. Public/Private Research Partnerships  3. The Adoption of Battery Technology in EDVs  4. Measurement of Economic and Energy Benefits  5. Measurement of Environmental Health and Energy Security Benefits  6. Comparison of Benefits and Costs of VTO’s R&D Investments  7. Conclusions

     

    Biography

    Albert N. Link is Professor of Economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA. His research is related to the economics of innovation, technology policy, and program evaluation.

    Alan C. O’Connor is an economist and Director of Innovation Economics at RTI International. He specializes in economic analysis of research and development (R&D) programs, program evaluation, and economic development.

    Troy J. Scott is an economist at RTI International, where his research deals with the economics of technology and innovation. His work focuses on the nexus of public support for research and development (R&D), regulation, and R&D rivalry among firms to evaluate and inform public policy.

    "Fifty years ago Edwin Mansfield used economics and econometrics with in-depth case studies to transform our understanding of innovation. Since 1972, Federal agencies have invested over a billion dollars in the battery technologies important to electric vehicles. Link, O’Connor, and Scott use the "Mansfield" strategy to take readers "under the hood" and ask if these programs were in the public interest? Their book is a great read!"V. Kerry Smith, Arizona State University, USA

    "The authors address an important issue which is high on the policy agenda in many industrialized countries. Even using conservative estimates about social benefits of public support for new technologies, they find substantial ones. In the vein of discussing public/private partnerships in science and technology, this study is a must-read for policy makers and research funders in the field." Wolfgang Polt, Institute for Economic and Innovation Research, Austria

    "This tome presents a thorough empirical economic evaluation of the social benefits attributable to federal R&D investment in vehicle battery technology in the United States. Link, O’Connor, and Scott have produced one of the best such appraisals available. A must read."Nicholas S. Vonortas,George Washington University, USA