Prepare to Plug in for 100-mpg Hybrids
By Lauren DeFreest and Matthew de Paula
A new strain of gas/electric hybrid vehicles called plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, represent the latest wave of fuel-efficiency-boosting technology being explored by carmakers and third-party firms. They promise to boost gas mileage to 100 mpg and beyond by running only on rechargeable electric batteries for limited distances. As the name suggests, they can be plugged in to recharge.
This plug-in Toyota Prius commissioned by environmental nonprofit CalCars is one of several prototypes built by EnergyCS. It routinely gets more than 130 mpg. The black circle on the left of the back bumper is a plug outlet.
Unlike gas/electric hybrids on the market now, which can't be plugged in, PHEVs require more batteries in order to run on electric power alone. So part of the process of converting an existing hybrid, such as the Toyota Prius, into a PHEV is to add more batteries, particularly newfangled ones like lithium-ion batteries, which are lighter and hold a charge longer than lead-acid or nickel metal hydride batteries.
No PHEVs are currently sold by major auto manufacturers, but Toyota recently pledged to pursue the technology and independent companies are working to convert existing hybrids into plug-ins. A small Southern California company called EnergyCS hopes to offer kits to convert 2004 and newer Toyota Priuses to PHEVs by the end of the year for a target cost of $12,000 per conversion, including installation.
But execs at big car manufacturers, such as Toyota and Ford, have said that PHEVs are still a long way off. And with some evidence that consumer interest in hybrid vehicles is beginning to wane (see Hybrid Downturn? section), PHEVs could face even greater challenges than simply developing reliable technology at a reasonable cost.
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"I wanna hang a map of the world in my house, and then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've travelled to. But first I'm gonna have to travel to the top 2 corners of the map so it won't fall down." -- Mitch Hedberg
from ForbesAutos.com:
Toyota Priuses to PHEVs by the end of the year for a target cost of $12,000 per conversion, including installation.
And with some evidence that consumer interest in hybrid vehicles is beginning to wane (see Hybrid Downturn? section), PHEVs could face even greater challenges than simply developing reliable technology at a reasonable cost.
Ouch~
I rather have a "auto-recharge by engine" Prius, than the new "Pluggable" ones.
100+ mpg is insane good though
Sooooooooooo, lets replace using gasoline with burning coal and nuclear power plants so we can power our cars....
NOT a step in the right direction in my opinion.
Enviornmentally you may be correct but I will have to see if PHEV's generate any additional pollution from the power generators or if they use excess power already being generated - thus with no additional cost in pollution. There is also solar power in some areas already, geothermal power almost anywhere, wind and biothermal energy in most places.
But the key reason to use it is to keep as much money as possible out of the MidEast. Now clean diesel engines and exhaust systems using B99 eventually is the best option.
I guess the biggest question would be how much electrical energy is it going to consume on a recharge (from the household outlet) and how much $$$ it's going to cost the owner to charge the batteries?? Are we talking a few hours a night, week, month???
Also, how much extra energy would our power plants be using to charge these babies? In the southeast the only powerplants I know of are nuclear and coal. Not much for wind and water power around here
About 10 years ago I saw a Ranger and S-10 that had been converted to all electric. They were kinda cool to see. The beds lifted up to show a MASSIVE battery storage area. I think that automakers moved away from this approach because of batteries, low mileage per charge, and long charge time. Obviously things have changed in 10 years, but is this still a practical approach?
What about hydrogen technology???????? I want to see some more of that shitznit. Wouldn't it be the shiznit to have a truck that had massive HP, TQ, and ran on water?
About 10 years ago I saw a Ranger and S-10 that had been converted to all electric. They were kinda cool to see. The beds lifted up to show a MASSIVE battery storage area. I think that automakers moved away from this approach because of batteries, low mileage per charge, and long charge time. Obviously things have changed in 10 years, but is this still a practical approach?
Another thing to question with all the extra batteries that plug-in cars have is where are those batteries going to wind up? The landfill of course. I have no idea how long these batteries will last...maybe many years...but they still are going to wind up polluting ground water if not disposed of properly.
Another thing to question with all the extra batteries that plug-in cars have is where are those batteries going to wind up? The landfill of course. I have no idea how long these batteries will last...maybe many years...but they still are going to wind up polluting ground water if not disposed of properly.
Nevertheless, 100 MPG does sound pretty nice.
The new batteries being used in the hybrids now are NiMH with a non-toxic electrolyte. The batteries are as dangerous as say a .... washing machine,,,, if they were ever to end up in a landfill. Toyota and Honda actually pay a $200 bounty on each one so that they dont get dumped.
They are nothing at all similar to lead acid batteries.
ok... you guys gotta understand that plug-in hybrids are exactly what jhbhatia wanted. They're regular hybrids that we have today except with the OPTION of plugging IF we wanted to.
IOW, if you didn't plug it in, big deal, it'll run like a regular hybrid.
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2010 Prius Technology Package (Cdn)
OEM Cargo Mat, OEM All-Weather Mat, LED ext/int lights, 5000K HID, OEM Fogs, Euro Mudguards
why not make a hybrid desiel. yeah its a desiel buy you know its gas mileage will be amazing and will smell like french fries if you use biodesiel lol.
why not make a hybrid desiel. yeah its a desiel buy you know its gas mileage will be amazing and will smell like french fries if you use biodesiel lol.
good question- whats the limitation of a hybrid electric-dissel? i mean, that's where the hybrid cars got the inspiration from (hybrid electric-dissel locomotives and submarines).
I think they are not going with a hybrid diesel for 2 reasons.
1 - One main point made about hybrids is their emissions. Diesels, although much cleaner than they used to be, just cannot match a gasoline engine in terms of emissions. This comes from the nature of diesel engines (fuel is exploded from pressure instead of ignited with a spark). Because of their particulate emissions, diesels are a nightmare anywhere where a long warranty is required on emissions parts, which diesel engines tend to dirty up pretty quickly. In the US, in any state that has adopted CARB standards, a manufacturer is required to warranty emissions equipment for 150,000 miles...not something Toyota would want to do with a diesel, and I dont blame them.
2 - Diesel engines do not have the top end power that a gasoline engine has. A gasoline engine is a good match for electric motors because the electric motors provide the low end grunt, and the gas engine provides the top end power. With a diesel hybrid, you would have 2 powerplants both producing low end grunt with less than desirable top end performance.
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Toyotas in the family/next of kin:
1982 Corolla Wagon, 1989 Corolla DX, 1991 Previa LE, 1993 Previa LE,
1993 Pickup, 1994 Corolla DX, 1995 Avalon XL, 1996 Camry XLE, 1998 Avalon XL,
1998 Sienna CE, 1999 Camry XL, 2000 Camry XLE, 2002 Tundra, 2003 Tundra,
2003 ES 300, 2004 Camry XLE, 2005 Tacoma
Also, diesel cars are already a bit more expensive (~$1,000 I think) so Toyota claims that's added cost which the consumers won't pay....
gideon's 2nd pt is good because that's the pt of the gas-electric hybrid. Let the engine rev at its most efficient pt (which is definitely not <2,000rpm that's for sure) and let the battery/electric motor take up the slack. Take a look at a Toyota hybrid's oil next time you're in for service (if there happened to be one in the service bay too). It's probably cleaner than you'd expect after 5,000 miles.
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2010 Prius Technology Package (Cdn)
OEM Cargo Mat, OEM All-Weather Mat, LED ext/int lights, 5000K HID, OEM Fogs, Euro Mudguards
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