If the California Air Resources Board (CARB) passes the legislation that it is currently considering, getting your hands on a PHEV conversion, like the one recently created by Hymotion, might be a bit more difficult. Whether or not this is a bad thing depends on your point of view. Those looking to add a plug-in module to their Prius in order to use as little gas as possible might be paying a few more bucks for the conversion, as the pending legislation would force the manufacturer to go through the same rigorous certification process that new cars must pass. Of course, this could be an expensive proposition and could keep some contenders completely out of the market. The benefit, as some see it, would be that owners would be sure that their newly-converted plug-ins would meet all current emissions standards, something which may not necessarily be the case otherwise. Added peace-of-mind would come from forcing the manufacturers to offer a standard , something the legislation would also require. Another requirement which has seen some opposition is the mandate of a maximum four-hour charge time and a specific branded charger.

Those with an interest in following the legislation can click here. CARB is currently accepting comments from the public regarding the pending legislation. If you feel strongly about the subject, you can make your voice heard by clicking here for CARB's contact information.

[Source: Greentech Media]

A row of Saturn Vue PHEVs in Milford's building 16 garage

GM may have been late to the party when it came to hybrids, but they are now throwing resources at a bunch of different parallel paths that including electric drive. There are already cars and CUVs with mild hybrid systems and full-size SUVs with Two-Mode hybrid systems. Later this fall pickup trucks and Saturn Vues will also get the Two-Mode system. Then there is of course the E-Flex Chevy Volt. Sometime around the end of 2009 GM's first plug-hybrid should debut also in the shape of the Vue. At the Plug-In 2008 conference Larry Nitz, the Executive Director of the hybrid powertrain engineering at GM provided an updated on the Vue PHEV program. After initiating development with nickel metal hydride batteries, the team based in Building 16 at the Milford proving ground now has 11 plug-in Vues running with lithium ion batteries. If the PHEV Vue makes it by the end of next year it will likely be the first commercially available plug-in hybrid from a major carmaker. The Vue is expected to have about 10 miles of electric driving range on a full charge.

[Source: GM Fastlane Blog]

The Wall Street Journal has published a very interesting article that states that GM is teaming with a dozen electric utilities operating in 40 states to prepare the arrival of its plug-in model (the Volt, if you didn't remember the name). From the business point of view, the article states that both the utilities and the auto industry have a lot to win. The plug-in hybrid car is seen as a "hot product" that can revive car sales, as well as reduce our dependence on oil. GM needs utilities which can keep the grid reliable for recharges, the same way it needed a reliable battery manufacturer for the cars to work correctly.

Why a safe grid? Think of what happens in a hot summer afternoon with all A/C working and energy at its peak tier prices and plants at maximum production. Intelligent chips and software tuning would identify the car as plugged to the electric grid and then use spare electricity to recharge. According to some studies, spare power plant capacity at night could feed millions of cars.


[Source: WSJ]

At the Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose CA this week General Motors will be on hand to announce a partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to promote plug-in vehicles. GM VP for Global Program Management Jon Laukner will be delivering a keynote address at the Plug-in conference on Monday, and the EPRI partnership is expected to be part of the discussion. At this point GM doesn't have any production plug-in vehicles, but will debute two different models in the next two years. A plug-in version of the Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid is expected to debut in late 2009 while the Chevy Volt should appear a year later. The styling of the production car based on the Volt concept should be debuting in the next few months, possibly in September in conjunction with GM's centenial celebration. One possible key to the ultimate success of plug-in vehicles would be the installation of public charging stations allowing drivers to top up the battery as they go through their daily routines. Doing this will require the participation of local governments, businesses and electric utilities. Another factor that would help make plug-in vehicles financially viable for consumers would be the establishment of an aftermarket for lithium ion batteries that may not be useful for cars but could be used by utilities for buffering power supplies. EPRI previously announced a similar promotional partnership with Ford.

[Source: Reuters]

Michael Morris, Chairman and CEO of American Electric Power, believes that the U.S. electrical grid is capable of supporting up to 60 million plug-in hybrid vehicles right now. In a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, the chief of the biggest electricity supplier in the United States said that up to 20 percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet could be switched over to plug-in capability and the grid would be fine. Like other proponents of plug-in vehicles, Morris feels that PHEVs would actually help improve load balancing on the grid if they are plugged in during off-peak hours. Of course, getting the maximum benefit from this would require large numbers of plug-ins, as well as implementation of smart meters that could optimize charging during those off-peak times while limiting the load during the day. Such meters could also potentially support vehicle-to-grid technology. Ford is currently testing a plug-in version of the Escape hybrid with Southern California Edison while GM plans to introduce a plug-in version of the Saturn Vue 2-Mode hybrid in late 2009, followed by the Volt in 2010. Toyota will also start fleet tests of a plug-in Prius in 2010.

[Source: Ward's Auto World]

Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria recently got some face-to-face time with Elon Musk, who, as you surely know by now, is one of the "product architects" at Tesla Motors. There were plenty of interesting quotes to come from the interview, but a few truly stood out from the rest. For instance, Musk slams plug-in hybrids pretty mercilessly while also claiming that the "a majority of all new cars produced in the United States, perhaps worldwide, will be electric. And I don't mean hybrid. I mean pure electric," within just thirty years. What's more, Musk adds that one of his other start-up companies, SolarCity, has the solution to what he refers to as the "'long tailpipe' criticism," where EV opponents point to the fact that much of the electricity in the U.S. comes from dirty sources such as coal. A small solar-panel setup of about 10 by 15 feet [is enough] to generate 200 to 400 miles a week of electricity for your car," according to Musk. We can get behind the idea of charging our own electric cars for the week with our own solar array mounted atop the roof our our garage. Maybe in thirty years that won't sound so far-fetched.

[Source: Newsweek]

Coming up in a few weeks is the Plug-in 2008 conference and expo, a three-day event (July 22-24) highlighting the benefits of cars with plugs. The official sessions will deal with related legislation, technology, the business benefits of PHEVs and BEVs. Luckily, if you can't commit to the full conference, there is a one-night stand option.

Public Night at the conference takes place on July 22 between 6 and 9 pm at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. For a $10 ticket, you can walk through the expo hall and then listen to a panel on "Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Transforming Our Transportation and Energy Futures." This panel features three speakers who know a little something, something about plug-in cars: Chelsea Sexton of Plug In America, Dan Reicher of Google.org, and Mark Duvall of EPRI. Find our more here, or click through after the break.

[Source: Plug-In 2008]

GM thinks that it has learned the lesson not to fall behind on technology and won't make that same mistake again. It's for this reason that the Volt is such a big deal for the automaker. Depending on how the next few years play out, though, we will either look back on Ford and realize just how smart the company was or just how deeply its head was stuck in the sand. It seems that Ford believes it has a solid position in hybrid technology and doesn't see an immediate need to be a leader in the development of a plug-in.

Instead, the Blue Oval is content to sit back and let cross-town rival GM and Toyota take the lead. In the meantime, Ford will continue to churn out hybrid versions of its Escape SUV and will introduce a new Fusion hybrid shortly. Hopefully, Ford will be able to play catch-up if the PHEV technology proves popular, otherwise, it could find itself in the same position as GM currently finds itself: as a technology-laggard.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Subaru has cooked up another electric kei car for me to park in my fantasy green garage, right next to the R1e and Mitsubishi i MiEV I don't currently have. It's a plug-in concept version of the Stella, and it will make its formal debut at next month's G8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan. Five of the cars will be on hand at the conference -- four to shuttle folks hither and to, and one on static display as part of the on-site Environmental Showcase

The electric powertrain is the same one Subaru uses in its R1e demonstrator -- permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power output of 40 kW powered by a lithium ion battery pack. Operating range on a full charge is 80 kilometers, and the cars have a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). The plug-in Stella is an advance over the 2-seat R1e in that, like Mitsubishi's i MiEV, its wagonoid body is a far more practical package overall.

[Source: Subaru]

According to Ford's President of the Americas, Mark Fields, plug-in hybrid vehicles need to be a "national priority" and the United States government should be offering assistance for their development. Fields goes on to say that the governments of competing nations are funding the development of the technology needed to introduce PHEVs, especially batteries. As it stands, most hybrid batteries are produced in factories overseas by companies outside the U.S. If this trend continues, Fields suggests that a continued purchase of these batteries would merely be shifting our foreign dependence on oil to a foreign dependence on batteries. For this reason, the Ford executive calls on increased funding from Washington for high-tech batteries as well as tax breaks and incentives in order to give consumers additional reason to purchase the fuel-saving technology. We would think that high gas prices are effectively doing just that, but it is true that the tax breaks for hybrid vehicles may have contributed to some early sales.

Field's speech, which was made at the Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington? conference on July 11, is a pretty interesting read, and you can find the entire thing pasted after the break.

Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the Hybrid-X Concept

So, we already know that Toyota will be showcasing its new third-generation Prius hybrid sedan at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show early in 2009. It's long been assumed that this new third-gen Prius would spawn a Lexus vehicle using the same platform and a similar hybrid system. Differences would include a higher price, obviously, and lithium ion batteries in place of the nickel metal hydrides installed in the Prius. What may be more interesting to some, though, is news that Toyota will also be displaying a third hybrid vehicle at the same show. Without giving away too many details, Masatami Takimoto, a VP in charge of research and development, indicates that this third hybrid will be a totally new car based on a larger platform than the current and next Prius. As has been widely reported, including on this very blog, Toyota's first plug-in hybrid is expected to debut in 2010.

In other green news, Toyota will be adding new gasoline-burning 1.3 liter and 2.5 liter engines along with stop/start technology, which is becoming increasingly popular in these days of high gasoline prices. Also on the docket is a new six speed manual transmission which will be kept compact for use in small cars. We look forward to seeing what else Toyota's got up its corporate sleeves.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

While Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe was in Tokyo talking up plans to start production of lithium ion batteries at the Panasonic EV Energy joint venture late next year, an American Toyota Exec was dampening expectations for the PHEVs in Washington. Bill Reinert, national manager of the Advanced Technology Group participated in a panel at the Google.org Plug-In Vehicle Conference. Reinert reiterated that while many plug-in proponents emphasize the potentential for 100mpg performance from PHEVs, not everyone will approach that.

Just as with current hybrid vehicles, the fuel efficiency of plug-ins will vary greatly depending on driving conditions. Reinert mentioned that acts like accelerating onto freeways and general real world driving will cut into the theoretical electric only range and the maximum mileage. This will be particularly true with so-called conversion PHEVs like the Prius, the Ford Escape and the upcoming Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid. These electric drive systems in these vehicles don't have sufficient power to propel the vehicle through the full spectrum of real world performance conditions. That means the engines will be starting up relatively frequently. Only when dedicated plug in vehicles with motors designed for full speed drive operation arrive will those kinds of mileage expectations be met more consistently. For more on this subject check out the interview we did with GM's Pete Savagian a few months ago.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]

The non-profit branch of the an obscure web-search company that goes by the name of Google.org has been investing in a lot of green technology over the last few years. Next week in Washington, D.C., Google.org is sponsoring a conference to discuss what the US government's role should be in promoting plug-in electric drive vehicles. The Brookings institution will be the co-sponsor for the event that begins on Wed. June 11. The event will include a series of panel discussions on various aspects of electric drive vehicles such as the current state of the vehicle technology, the effect on the grid, and federal policy towards EVs. Senators Orrin Hatch and John Kerry will both address the gathering at the Thursday morning breakfast. Mark Fields, Chelsea Sexton, Troy Clarke and Felix Kramer are among the participants. There should be some interesting discussions going on, particularly considering that Congress is currently considering tax credits for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

[Source: Google.org]

A Wall Street Journal story today highlights the promise and potential problems with plug-in cars. More accurately, it highlights the problems and shoves most of the promise to the bottom. As automakers ready plug-in hybrids and electric cars for market, the sensational headline poses a clash of the titans: "Utilities, Plug-In Cars: Near Collision?"

As gasoline reaches $4 a gallon, the benefit to consumers of transportation energy at about $1 per gallon (equivalent) is undeniable. And if one reads down to near the end of the story, one finds the studies that show the tremendous upside in terms of carbon emission and petroleum reduction. As the article makes clear, as long as most plug-in cars charge up at night, the American electrical grid can already carry the load of more plug-in cars than are likely to be produced for a decade or more. Of course, night time charging is also more convenient; most cars are parked at night and used during the day. Still, the utilities are already exploring ways to ensure cars utilize the low-cost, excess capacity existing while consumers sleep, including incentive pricing, time of use metering, and smart meters.

And the environmental benefits reported are extraordinary. If enough plug-ins were on the roads, we could see oil consumption cut by 6.2 million barrels a day and U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions cut "by 450 million metric tons annually, equivalent to scrapping 82 million cars." Where the grid is comparatively clean, as in California, switching to electricity is a no-brainer. More surprising, the story reports, "Carbon-dioxide emissions would probably fall even if coal-fired plants made the electricity, some studies have found, because they burn coal more efficiently than automobiles burn gasoline." Of course as the electric grid becomes cleaner and more renewable thanks to state and federal mandates, the cars charging actually get cleaner, too.

[Source: Wall St. Journal]

Get ready for some crazy abbreviations here. Union Rural Electric Cooperative (URE) will debut Ohio's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) on May 3 in Marysville. Created by the Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives (OREC) and Hybrid Plus in Boulder, Colorado, Plug-In 1 is a converted Ford Escape Hybrid. The stock nickel metal hydride battery has been yanked in favor of a new lithium ion pack which contains 1,600 separate cells that add up to 12 kWhs of capacity.

The PHEV was created by the Ohio-based utility companies to study what effect plug-ins will have on the grid. According to URE President Roger Yoder, "It will yield information of importance not only for the transportation sector but for utilities as we prepare to meet the energy and environmental challenges of the future." With plug-ins like the Volt expected within a few years, this data will become increasingly important. Plug-In 1 is equipped with an on-board computer which will track all kinds of data which should be useful to the utilities. Full press release after the break.