100+MPG Toyota Prius

[350Nismo]

The California Cars Initiative (CalCars), a nonprofit group of environmentalists, engineers and other volunteers, is actively recruiting Prius owners and their cars, and other supporters, to create PRIUS+.

If you own an '04-'05 Prius, you know how great your car is. We hope you'll consider joining a unique effort to "soup it up" and then encourage Toyota to come along for the ride.

Together, we can help bring to market an even more efficient car - the first example of the transitional vehicle for the next decade or more. Here's what PRIUS+ does:

- Enables your "EV-only" mode (that blank button to the left of your steering wheel - it works in Asia and Europe)
- Adds batteries, in convenient unused space hidden under the hatchback deck;
- Plugs in: at your option (when it's easy), recharge at night at a 110-volt outlet.

The result? Daily trips at local-street speed in "stealth" (all-electric) mode, plus double the mileage of your 40-50 MPG stock Prius. You'll live a greener life, gas up less often and help the auto industry reduce oil imports and stem climate change.

http://www.calcars.org/priusplus.html

[350Nismo]

The New York Times, April 2, 2005:

Ron Gremban and Felix Kramer have modified a Toyota Prius so it can be plugged into a wall outlet. Toyota has spent millions of dollars persuading people that hybrid electric cars like the Prius never need to be plugged in and work just like normal cars. But the idea of making hybrid cars that have the option of being plugged in is supported by a diverse group of interests, from neoconservatives who support greater fuel efficiency to utilities salivating at the chance to supplant oil with electricity.

"I've gotten anywhere from 65 to over 100 miles per gallon," said Mr. Gremban, an engineer at CalCars, a small nonprofit group based in Palo Alto, Calif. EnergyCS, a small company that has collaborated with CalCars, has modified another Prius with more sophisticated batteries; they claim their Prius gets up to 180 mpg and can travel more than 30 miles on battery power.

Fuel cells would require a complete reinvention of the automobile, not to mention the nation's gas stations, and the technology to put them on the road is still a long way from fruition. "We think it's the only way to rekindle interest in electric transportation," said Robert Graham, who manages research into electric vehicles for the [Electric Power] Research Institute."

For power companies, the vehicles would also draw power mostly during off hours which would improve efficiency, because power plants cannot simply shut down at night as demand diminishes. Roger Duncan, a deputy general manager of Austin Energy, said that "it's hard to say what impact it will have on the nation as a whole, but that in regions that use cleaner-than-average power sources, like Austin or California, it would provide a clear emissions benefit.” Mr. Duncan even imagines a day when drivers could be paid to return energy to the grid during times of excessive demand.

[350Nismo]

CalCars Technology Lead Ron Gremban, the original PRIUS+ vehicle will be in Palo Alto Saturday:

On April 16, 2005, we will present the first PRIUS+ at the Electric Auto Association Silicon Valley Chapter http://www.becketts.ws/eaa/meetings.htm
meeting, Saturday at 2PM (not the group's usual morning meeting time)
Hewlett-Packard, 3000 Hanover St., building 20 level A, Auditorium in Palo Alto.

We'll also give an update about the international EVS21 event last week in Monaco, where the EnergyCS/Valence Lithium-Ion version of PRIUS+ made a splash.

* If you haven't seen it, we have a new page with 6 photos, including the EnergyCS lithium batteries and the Battery Management System Display Unit mounted on the dashboard at http://www.calcars.org/priusplusphotos.html

* If you haven't read it, see Admiral Woolsey's testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Energy and Resources where he talked about PHEVs
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/23 -- see also message archive
(message 22 PHEV Gains Momentum: Dec '04 to Early April '05 Milestones is one of my favorites)

* We have finally produced a general-interest flyer (up to now, what we had was oriented to Prius owners), which you can see/download at http://www.calcars.org/calcarsflyer2pages.pdf or from inks from main CalCars pages. It's a page of info and back side quotes plus action items. This was produced in a rush and already needs many changes -- but we're also happy we have it. We'll be blanketing the State Democratic Convention with it next weekend as part of our effort to get people interested in state-level initiatives to promote plug-in hybrids.

[Irie_eyes]

running all-electric all the time must screw up the motor somehow. would these "mods" void the warranty?

[M_TYPE_X]

PRIUS+ ?! OMG ... it's evolving.

[Not_Vin_Diesel]

If there are times, because of the modification, when the vehicle is traveling in "stealth" (on batter power,) isn't the measure "miles per charge" instead of "miles per gallon?"

[AgentWD40]

Does this getting 100 MPG result from just using the batteries (that you charge at home) more often? If so that is stupid. My truck can get 100 MPG if I turn it off and coast down every hill I see or if I have a team of horses pull it. If the mods actually increase the distance you get from 1 gallon of gas great. If they just put a seperate energy supply on board and say we are going further on a gallon of gas that is stuipd.

[M_TYPE_X]

Now that Special Agent revealed how PRIUS got such ridiculously high economy ratings ... how will Consumer Scamports y TOYOTA dispose of him?! http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/confused.gif ... probably 'Death by Camry.' http://forums.freshalloy.com/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[350Nismo]

How would you like to run your car for the equivalent of fifty cents a gallon with much lower emissions? Impossible, right?

Not according to Dr. Andy Frank, Professor of Engineering at University of California at Davis and Felix Kramer of The California Cars Initiative (CalCars). Frank and Kramer are leading a campaign to encourage the development of the "gas-optional" or “plug-in” hybrid (PHEV), which they claim will yield dramatic gains in fuel economy.

Just when the American public is finally starting to understand that you don’t have to plug hybrid cars in, here comes the plug-in hybrid. With the plug-in hybrid, you still will not be required to plug the car in, but you’ll have the option. As a result, drivers will get all the benefits of an electric car, without the biggest drawback: limited range. You'll be able to go all-electric for the 90% of your driving which takes place close to home. When the electric charge runs out, a downsized gas engine kicks in and your car drives like a regular hybrid.

Most hybrid car drivers enjoy keeping the car in all-electric “stealth” mode. Prius and Escape drivers can keep this going when the car is in slow stop-and-go traffic. Plug-ins would extend the stealth mode for the lion’s share of our local driving.
A hybrid gets about twice the fuel economy of a conventional car.
A plug-in hybrid will get about twice the fuel economy of a hybrid.


What are the naysayers saying about plug-in hybrids? And how do Frank and Kramer respond?

Producing power from the grid (to charge the cars) will produce additional emissions.
Response:
What the industry calls "well-to-wheel" emissions (including greenhouse gases) for grid-powered vehicles is far lower than gasoline, even for the national power grid (which is 50% coal). Cars charging off-peak will use power from plants that can't turn off at night. Plus, many parts of the country get most of their power from cleaner sources like natural gas and hydropower. Finally, plug-in hybrids recharged from rooftop photovoltaic (solar panel) systems will be zero emission.

http://www.hybridcars.com/plugin-hybrids.html

[Nismo]

SUMMARY:

The PRIUS+
(1) Adds batteries
(2) Plugs in at night at a 110-volt outlet
(3) Operates on battery power more often

RESULT:

Your gasoline bill goes down. Your electricity bill goes up.

[Irie_eyes]

If there are times, because of the modification, when the vehicle is traveling in "stealth" (on batter power,) isn't the measure "miles per charge" instead of "miles per gallon?"



Should be 0 miles per gallon.
If I get my electricity from a nuclear powerplant I could just say it's nuclear-powered.