Turn any car into a plug-in hybrid
- added June 11, 2008
- 18 responses
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- stone246
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Soon drivers will be able to get at least double the gas mileage of a Toyota Prius hybrid, thanks to a spate of new aftermarket kits that convert any car into a plug-in electric vehicle. But they’ll have to pay upwards of $10,000 to do so.
Auto manufacturers are at least a year or two away from launching the next generation of hybrids, called plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), that recharge by plugging into a wall outlet. But battery companies are ready to start selling aftermarket kits within the next few months that convert hybrids, and in some cases regular vehicles, into plug-in electric cars.
A123Systems, an automotive technology company and battery supplier based in Watertown, Mass., is now taking orders for its Hymotion L5 conversion kit, which turns a Toyota Prius into a plug-in electric car. The $10,000 kit, due this fall, works with Prius model years 2004 through 2008 and adds a special, range-extending lithium-ion battery to the Prius' existing drivetrain.
Using A123’s plug-in system, the Prius, which normally runs only short distances at slow speeds on electric power alone, will have added battery power to extend its electric-only range and boost gas mileage to more than 100 miles per gallon. The Prius normally gets an estimated 46 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
Even if electricity costs as much as 15 cents per kilowatt hour, fully charging the 5 kilowatt-hour battery to run up to 40 miles would cost less than a dollar.
Auto manufacturers are at least a year or two away from launching the next generation of hybrids, called plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), that recharge by plugging into a wall outlet. But battery companies are ready to start selling aftermarket kits within the next few months that convert hybrids, and in some cases regular vehicles, into plug-in electric cars.
A123Systems, an automotive technology company and battery supplier based in Watertown, Mass., is now taking orders for its Hymotion L5 conversion kit, which turns a Toyota Prius into a plug-in electric car. The $10,000 kit, due this fall, works with Prius model years 2004 through 2008 and adds a special, range-extending lithium-ion battery to the Prius' existing drivetrain.
Using A123’s plug-in system, the Prius, which normally runs only short distances at slow speeds on electric power alone, will have added battery power to extend its electric-only range and boost gas mileage to more than 100 miles per gallon. The Prius normally gets an estimated 46 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
Even if electricity costs as much as 15 cents per kilowatt hour, fully charging the 5 kilowatt-hour battery to run up to 40 miles would cost less than a dollar.
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This is a great ideal, However the price is outrageous.
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I know great technology that guarantees a worry free commute but you have to have a worry free bank account to afford it
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Great!
The price will obviously come down.
I would put one on my 1996 Honda and have my dream car.-
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- CarolynGillis
- 2 months ago
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I'd buy one for my 2000 Hyundai for about half that price. I believe this is just the beginning of aftermarket plug in kit.
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- shroomfairy
- 2 months ago
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Yes I agree about half the price would do it for me.
I love the low expense for my old car..it runs like a dream..hardly pay any taxes..a couple hundred if that.
don't worry about high maintenance.
its only worth $1200 or so on KBB...no great financial loss if something goes wrong.
My daughter makes fun of me but I don't care.-
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- CarolynGillis
- 2 months ago
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I have a 2003 Prius, so this will just make it even better.
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Damn, if it'd fit my Scion, I'd think about it, if it were HALF the price (or less...)
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"aftermarket" interesting word
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- stephenthomson
- 2 months ago
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i think that would but really cool but it was only a matter of time before they made something like this.
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Let's stop and think for a moment, and try out hardest to remember...The Electric Car Was Already Invented once...
What's the wait? -
See the "Marvelous Chicken-Powered Car" alternative as well. Runs on methane from composted chicken and pig poo. -
It's a good start hopefully sometime in the near future newer technology will bring the price down so more people can afford it.
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Too bad the batteries in the cars will never be able to decompose...
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- ccarmichael
- 2 months ago
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ccarmichael.. some of them might be recyclable, just like the lead-acid ones that start so many millions of cars today....
and as for the "$350 computer that used to cost $3000".... the price of batteries for electric AND hybrid cars HAS come down over the decades, but there's a HUGE difference between packing 1.8 times the number of gates onto a chip every year [which is what (Gordon) Moore's Law REALLY states...] versus finding some new chemical combination that makes a good, light, powerful, heat-and-cold-resistant, rugged, cheap BATTERY....
go beat up a chemist, not a car company... gee, why can't THEY figure out how to simply solve that problem, eh?
jeez.... no science or engineering education any more. -
sign me up twice
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