HYBRID VANS WITH A POWER CORD / Dodge tests small fleet of Sprinters for delivery - lithium ion battery pack

Are there plug-
Future hybrid cars in America?
The hybrid car can travel 10 to 20 miles by battery alone, but it wasn't until recently that the automaker said ---
More or less consistent--
Adding a larger battery pack and plug is not practical
Charger for hybrid cars due to increased weight, complexity and cost.
They say the public is already confused about hybrid cars, which many still think (their batteries are charged internally)
Need to insert internal combustion engine ).
So is there really a power cord for the hybrid right now?
Probably, says Daimler Chrysler.
The company recently demonstrated in New York its first Dodge dash van with a plug in its small test fleetin-
Hybrid train.
Sprinter can run 20 miles on a 70-mile battery.
KW motor.
The three sprinter currently in the United States (built in Germany with diesel or gasoline engines) are four-truck fleet;
More than 30 other services will enter the world.
That doesn't necessarily mean that Daimler Chrysler will
Among the sprinter for sale, the company seems to agree with the concept.
The idea is also being considered by other companies.
Ford Motor chairman William Clay Ford
He says his company is "keenly observing" the technology.
At Toyota, Dave Hermance, executive engineer for advanced technology vehicles, confirmed that the company has started its research and development plan for plugsins.
"But we don't think the battery is ready for production yet," he added . ".
According to Bloomberg reported on June, GM is also developing a plug-in car. in hybrid. Even Google.
Charity-
A profitable company founded by a popular search engine provider says it will create its own plug-inin system.
A June report by New York investment management company alliance entitled "The emergence of hybrid vehicles" concluded that "plug and play"
As an extension of current hybrid technology, hybrid vehicles may emerge. " The fuel-
The report said that the efficiency improvement "will be huge for those who usually drive only a short distance every day. "Plug-
Like all the hybrids, ins are at stop-and-go duty.
Their ability to run these features on the battery alone makes them perfect for the delivery tasks expected by the sprint project.
Electric Power Research Institute of the utilities industry association estimates that a plug
The hybrid will consume between 2,000 and 2,500 KW hours.
Power grid every year.
So, vehicles like plugs don't
In a hybrid sprint, simply transfer the pollution source from the tail pipe to the chimney of the coal
Burning power plants?
According to a report released by the US energy commission last month, it depends on the source of electricity
A non-profit energy policy organization, "Efficient Economy ".
The council concluded that,
In the Toyota Prius version, it can reduce its third carbon dioxide emissions compared to today's Prius hybrid, but only if its battery is charged with California power ---
Mainly from cleaner sources.
"One of the key determinants is whether electricity is being generated from coal," Jim kreshi
The author of the report said in an interview.
The report says coal-based areas in the Midwest,
Burning power plant, plug
Prius's carbon dioxide emissions will increase by 1%.
"Our position is to oversell the plug
Policy maker or John Q.
"There is a possibility that the public will be disappointed with the technology," Kliesch said . ". But the plug-
For a long time, environmental activists and Greens have been advocating concepts --
Some thoughtful entrepreneurs, some of whom have added battery packs and chargers to existing hybrids such as Prius and Ford Escape.
These cars do not need to start a gasoline engine during a short commute, which allows their champions to claim to have very high potential economic data.
But some homemade plugs.
In hybrid cars, adapt to the complex on-Computer Board.
"The introduction of this Daimler Chrysler is the beginning for automakers to realize our dreams," said Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars . ".
Org that supports plug and play
Build prototypes in hybrid cars and help.
"This is very encouraging.
"The dream truck is traditional --
Looks like a sprinter, familiar to the American, who is a tall dodge or cargo vehicle used as a bus, without a back seat, a delivery truck.
In Europe, it is labeled Mercedes-Benz. Benz.
Deviations from factory specifications include plugs
In the charging port on the right side of the truck nose, a small switch on the dashboard turns the vehicle to electric-
Only mode and 350-pound, 14-kilowatt-hour lithium-
An ion battery pack peeping from under a flat floor.
Of course, it also has a font engraved on the side of the hybrid sprinter.
The sprinter attracted a group of people to the lobby of the Solaire apartment building in Battery Park City, as it was the first green high-rise building
High-rise homes in the United States (with their own sewage treatment plants and photovoltaic panels ).
The Sprinter project is a team collaboration involving Daimler Chrysler, the New York Electric Power Authority and the Electric Power Research Institute;
Each representative attended the presentation. "The plug-
"Hybrid is a great application for the fleet and is great for New York City," said Timothy Carey, president and chief executive of the Electric Power Authority, which drives the Escape Hybrid.
When I became the first reporter to drive a sprinter in the United States, officials stood under the awning and looked at me.
I twisted the key and was surprised how quiet the truck was.
Unfortunately, it is not running.
To the consternation of almost everyone there, this will-
Failed to become a model for the use of the New York fleet.
A German engineer quickly connected a laptop to troubleshoot the fault and concluded that the motor controller of the van was not working properly.
Unfortunately he couldn't fix the problem quickly and the demo drive was delayed.
According to Daimler Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa, the car started driving in half an hour.
But it wasn't until a few days later that I contacted it again, at White Plains, where the electricity authority headquarters is located.
The facilities also include a charging station that takes 6 to 8 hours to replenish the lithium of sprinterion batteries.
The paddle charger is mounted in one slot on the front fender and pushed down to start the current flow.
The design of the charging system takes into account safety: electrical contacts are not exposed until the paddle is inserted into the car.
John Markowitz, an electric power authority engineer who temporarily kept hybrid sprinter, explained that the van with a gasoline engine was bound for California, where regulators were unfriendly to diesel.
Lithium in that van.
Ion batteries provide the same amount of energy storage as Nickelmetal-
Another version of the hydrogenation package, but the weight is half. But lithium-
There are some cost and durability challenges for lithium-ion batteries: both Apple and Dell have recalled lithium batteries
Ion laptop battery due to the danger of overheating.
The sprinter is relatively simple to drive and the automatic transmission provides manual shifting.
It handles well for large vehicles.
Drivers can choose hybrid or electric-
Only mode, the latter provides the strongest initial acceleration. The 2. 3-
The liter gasoline engine in my test vehicle turns to 5,000 rpm without providing too much forward movement, but the richness of the electric motor is low
Speed torque pulled it apart smoothly-
Much less noise than traditional vans.
The engine engage is not as seamless as it is on the production Prius or Escape, but just like on those cars, the engine is completely shut down at the traffic lights.
Alternate version with 2. 7-
The turbocharged diesel engine is likely to be launched faster.
In the first phase of the test, sprinter will be deployed in New York, Kansas City and Los Angeles.
Vans in Kansas City and Los Angeles will be put into use at utilities.
There are three sprinter to go through-
The annual test in New York will be a diesel version of nickelmetal-
Hydrogen batteries.
Mark Coleman said the New York Times will use it to transport newspapers from a print shop at the University Point in Queens to the routes of the five boroughs and to transport them to the school, distribution Director of The Times.
The van could be delivered on February or 3, he said.
Sprinter will have companions.
Klaus trite, senior commercial vehicle manager, said Daimler Chrysler will also launch its second plug
Although he declined to comment further, the hybrid was on a revised platform.
"It has wheels," he confided . "