Countless small beginnings
Ups and Detroit automakers are trying to recover electric vehicles from early graves, although there is still a long way to go before electricity becomes a "fuel" for the masses.
At the same time, however, some companies are aiming to hand the power cord over to drivers who want to transform the gas --
Plug-in hybrid
In a hybrid car, or in full-
Power System.
Merchants are selling plugs.
In a hybrid system, you can travel 40 miles by battery alone, with an average fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon.
Once the battery runs out, the car uses gasoline.
It may cost more than $10,000 to install a plug-in
Toyota Prius's hybrid system.
Is the limited electric driving range worth spending money?
According to CalCars founder Felix Kramer, the missing connadik state mom Virginia Beach shooting protesters who broke Google's cloud service absolutely interrupted Harris, with CalCars having nearly 200 plug-ins
Mixed conversion across the country.
Palo Alto hotels, California-
The 2004-based nonprofit transformed the first Prius with a battery powered from a power outlet.
He said that the range of 40 miles or less could expand as battery manufacturers compete in the coming years, covering most of the small trips Americans make in a day.
So, Kramer view the plugin
Ins is the ideal second car for office workers, and they still want to launch an SUV on a weekend getaway.
"The conversion gave them the opportunity to say, 'I pushed the cleanest expansion in the world --
He added.
Early adopters will pay extra for the plugin
As an option, as they do for luxury add-ons such as leather seats, these products have no financial return.
Kramer believes that automakers will eventually bless qualified vehicle modifiers with plugs installedin systems.
At present, the number of mechanics and dealers across the country is small but still growing, and they will provide the service.
In products that consumers can already choose, plug-ins
In Supply is making conversion kits based on CalCars's open standards.
Petaluma, California
, The company is selling a $5,000 conversion to enable Prius to travel up to 20 miles in full lead
Acid battery, or lithium for $11,000-
Iron phosphate battery.
Professional installation takes a day or two and another $1,000.
The battery chassis can be mounted on the hinges and sit easily above the spare tire room, despite the addition of a large amount of lead
The acid kit also needs to improve the impact of the car.
By contrast, the $10,000 conversion from water town rival A123 Hymotion.
, Nestle light lithium phosphate-
Ion batteries in the spare tire compartment.
The driver can connect the power cord on the external panel on Prius to 110-
Then wait 8 hours or less. Plug-
At present, the company has supplied 30 systems to the United States and has set up a factory in San Jose, California.
According to founder Robb Protheroe, enough kits should be produced to ship two a day later this summer.
He is seeking $5 million in venture capital to expand and attract followers before the Chevrolet Volt plug
The hybrid will be off the line by the end of 2010.
Protheroe describes the backlog of 75 orders and says a dozen dealers are registering to install his system in California, Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Washington, oregon, Italy, Australia, Canada and Germany.
"Texas is fully open now," said Bill Kelly, who is working to build a plugin for Protheroe
Modified at a car service center in Plano, Texas.
"A lot of people are scratching their heads and trying to figure out why they buy an suv.
Installation personnel for Protheroe equipment include solar energy-Electric, female
Has a sweet garage for San Francisco hybrid car owners and plans to add space for plugs
Electric hybrid conversion.
Since 1999, the garage of Pat, another store in San Francisco, has been serving hybrid cars.
Owner Pat Cadam has been executing the A123 Hymotion plugin
Conversion over a year.
"We all think that the more cars we drive on the road, the better," he said . ".
Cadam believes that electric vehicles will not enter the mass market until about 2012.
Toyota 2010 plug-
He noted that the fleet could only run hundreds of vehicles in the hybrid plan.
In the meantime, Cadam believes the number of plugins will increase
It is crucial to arouse public interest in electric vehicles.
Other approved plugins for A123 Hymotion
The conversion facilities include green car companies in Seattle and four Toyota dealers in Boston, Los Angeles, Minni aporius and Washington. C.
The kit manufacturer is owned by battery company A123 Systems, which is applying for a listing, and the company says it has started shipping to consumers
Ready system, most orders will be shipped by the end of this year.
Pacific Gas and Power, utilities, and Google Inc.
Profile Hymotion tester.
Google employees in Mountain View, California
Campus discovery plug-
The average number of Ins reached 93.
5 miles per gallon(
The search giant's top-up plan is $2.
75 million from Electriccar start-
In July, aptica and battery maker ActaCell were established. )
However, the safety of the plug
In June, when a Prius modified by Boulder's hybrid Plus was questioned, Col.
Suddenly caught fire.
This setting uses the battery from the A123 System, but the battery type found in its plug-in is different
In the conversion suite. A third-
The party's investigation blamed the fire on improper assembly.
A123 Hymotion insists it crashes
The tested product automatically disconnects the battery pack in the event of an impact and complies with federal safety and emission standards.
The company and the plug.
Supply quote 3-
Annual warranty and guarantee to the consumer that conversion will not result in invalid Toyota warranty unless the plug is inserted
Failure is directly caused in the change.
Plug-In recommended by Protheroe
In the battery, the original Prius batteries can rest and perhaps extend their life.
Kim Adelman, aiming to sell the plug
In the installation prior to November, consider his use of nickel metal hydrogen batteries-
The same beer used by Prius-
With high-Lithium density
Ion batteries, if punctured in a collision, may be unstable. "Safety is No.
"Of course," he said. "No.
2 is better to discharge and use less gas.
"Adelman's company, plug
In the conversion near San Diego, there are 20 potential Prius owners waiting to pay between $9,750 and $19,750 for electric power
Only 8 to 30 miles.
Other passenger car conversion companies in California that appear to be in the early stages of development include OEMTek and EnergyCS. More-expensive, all-
There are also electric face changes.
At a price of $55,000, communication in San Dimas, California
Convert to Scion xB, which is 95 miles per hour, 150 miles per hour.
Some people consider switching gas.
Rather than focusing on compact or hybrid cars that are already relatively green, fuel-consuming road pigs are more important.
Andy Grove, Intel's former chairman, called in July to charge 10 million large cars in the next four years.
In this spirit, the engineer led by Professor Eli Emadi of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago will be a Ford F-
150 truck plug-
In hybrid systems, fuel economy is increased from 16 miles per gallon to 41 miles.
"We are targeting pickup trucks, SUVs and vans ---
This is a very big market . "
"If you start with a 12-mile per gallon petrol consumer, or start with a 7-mile per gallon school bus and increase your gasoline consumption, the impact will be much greater.
"His team" mixes Ford's traditional driving train and turns it into a plugin hybrid.
The nickel metal hydrogen battery takes 5 hours to charge and the truck can travel 15 miles without gas.
This adds 15% of the weight of the vehicle, but also increases the torque, he said.
Emadi has split the technology into hybrid electric vehicle technology and plans to produce up to 50 conversion products by 2009, $60,000 per conversion.
He said he hopes to expand the scale of technology-
If $5 million of venture capital is injected, prices will drop sharply by 2010.
Andy Frank is called the inventor of the plug.
In the hybrid, spinning-
By converting the company's efficient power system authorization to Palo Alto, he gave up the technology.
Advocates of hybrid electric vehicles argue that while faster adoption requires lower costs, other technical barriers are less daunting.
Some claim that improving battery technology is key to expanding the range of electric driving, but today's storage capacity is enough to meet the needs of most trips.
Those who doubt the feasibility of electric vehicles point out the lack of public charging infrastructure
Ups Better Place and Coulomb are working on this.
However, advocates of plug-ins
Ins says the infrastructure for charging cars already exists in the form of 110
Volt sockets are available in almost any building.
Some hope that if drivers plug in only at night and tap unused energy from the grid, there is no need to add new power plants. Plug-
Hybrid cars have become the focus of national political attention as politicians praise the potential to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.
Those powered on in the backcar start-
Ups hopes the next government will receive government support in Washington, D. C. C.
On August, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama proposed a $7,000 tax credit for Americans who bought plugs.
Hybrid vehicles and $4 billion in loans to high-efficiency automakers.
Republican rival John McCain in June called for a $5,000 consumer tax credit for zero purchases.
Emissions cars and battery makers are pushing ahead with a $0. 3 billion bonus for electric vehicle technology.
"Regardless of the outcome, I think we 've had an impact on the automaker," said Adelman of Plug Company. In Conversions.
"It feels like we had a PC in the 1970 s.
We know that it will change the world. In this case, it must change.