The world is waiting for the major car companies to offer electric vehicles. But you -- you are accustomed to instant gratification. This is America, after all, and you want to plug-in now.
Well, you don't have to wait for the Big Three to get out of their corporate jets and get to work. You can go with a get-around-towner like the ZAP or the Zenn. Or, you can go with one of the conversion companies which will take your Prius and turn it into a plug-in hybrid.
How well do the converted Priuses work? My friend Daniel Sherwood of 3Prong Power loaned me one to find out (full disclosure: Daniel's partner -- as in life partner, not business partner -- is my colleague Claudia at Vote Solar).
The version I drove was powered by 20 lead-acid batteries, installed under a lucite cover in the spare-tire well. These provide 4.8 kWh of juice, enough for 10 to 12 miles of all-electric range. Future versions will have lithium-ion batteries -- with power for 30 to 40 miles in all-electric mode.
So what was it like to drive? Well, pretty much like a regular Prius. Only quieter and better for America. When you start it, the engine cycles through a warm-up -- it's a California Air Resources Board requirement to warm up the catalytic converter. Hit the gas electric pedal, and you zip forward in electric mode, up to 34 mph or 10 miles, whichever comes first. For higher speeds and longer miles, the gas and electric engine work together, just like a normal Prius.
If you want to go faster than 34 mph in all-electric, 3Prong installed an engine kill-switch which forces an all electric mode up to 50 mph. Careful, though: if you run low on juice you have to park the vehicle and reboot the software to get the gas engine running again. So, perhaps the Bay Bridge is not the place to go all electric (sorry guys!). I was able to stay all electric for my in-town errands, no problem.
The interface is pretty much the same as a regular Prius, with an optional 'geek-mode' on the in-dash screen that shows some raw data on battery and engine performance.
At night, you just plug it in. Four hours on your regular 110V socket -- a fill-up for less than 60 cents.
If you are in the Bay Area and want to check one out for yourself, 3Prong is having a launch party on Friday eve, at GreenMotors in Berkeley. Free beer, so bring a designated (electric) driver.
Do we need nuclear and coal plants for baseload power?
Cash for Clunkers brought us ... more clunkers!
Comments
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naught101 Posted 10:09 am
04 Dec 2008
The idea is good, but The Prius doesn't get much better milage than most 80s model japanese hatchbacks. What we really need in a town car is a plugin hybrid that's REALLY light, and has really low wind resistance.
Or just more public transport ;)
check out http://www.envirowiki.info, the knowledge database for environmentalists and activists.
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In the belly Posted 10:59 am
04 Dec 2008
The unusual shape actually has pretty good aerodynamics. The Prius has drag coefficient of 0.26, almost as good as the Honda (discontinued) Insight's 0.25 but a ways from the EV1's 0.19 and Aptera's 0.11. It is quite a bit better than most any other sedan on the road. Even more impressive is the company it keeps in CdA (drag coefficient*area).
My 1997 Accord weighed only a few 10s of kg less than the Prius, so I don't think the weight is that out of line. Do I wish it had a carbon fiber body? Yeah. I wish lots of things, like maybe my job was closer to the walkable neighborhood of older homes and urban canopy that our house is in, so I could bicycle to work like I used to.
Our 1981 Honda Civic got around 45 mpg, but you couldn't fit much into it. You have to drive like an idiot to get only 45 mpg with a Prius. Our longterm average (city and highway) is 51.1 mpg. Recently I've been careful and get up to 60 mpg without too much effort.
Sorry to go on. I hate cars--really, I do--but of the choices out there now the Prius is one of the best (we looked at the Honda hybrid options, standard small cars, etc.) for getting excellent mileage and being able to carry an entire small nuclear family.
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amazingdrx Posted 1:35 pm
04 Dec 2008
It's all that heavy steel to blame. Carbon fiber, that's the answer. And ditch the big transmission and over powered ICE too Toyota.
And get aerodynamic. Better yet dump the Prius and just license the Hypercar design and the Fiber Forge process from Lovins' companies.
US auto companies won't adopt US technology, might as well get Toyota to do it in auto plants here providing US jobs.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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Adam Browning Posted 10:56 pm
04 Dec 2008
or, you could go with something that is actually available. right now. as in today.
Get Some Sun: http://www.votesolar.org
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amazingdrx Posted 2:30 am
05 Dec 2008
About Toyota going for a serial plugin hybrid design like the Volt, or GM would take the lead. He explained that the Prius has a series/parallel drive system and why it is the best design.
Wait or buy what's available? There is another alternative, holler out to eco-spokespersons about it until they tell it to Obama.
And convert conventional cars to Hypercars the do-it-youself way. Thanks to the hotrod/offroad do-it-yourself industries (for the ultralightening part) and the fledgling electric car conversion industry, it is possible.
Then there's Youtube to get the message out.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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cloud Posted 9:18 am
06 Dec 2008
Some Congresspeople, like Rep. Jackie Speier have proposed giving Americans tax credits to buy American fuel efficient cars as a boost to the economy and failing automobile makers. If these where designed to benefit the smaller EV innovators as well, we would see more electrified transportation on the road a lot sooner.
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