To Plug, or not To Plug? That will be the question in late 2010. The biggest advantage of today’s gas/electric hybrids is that they don’t need to be plugged in to a power source in order to recharge their batteries. So what’s with all the static about automakers introducing plug-in hybrids such as the Chevrolet Volt, or the Toyota Prius with a Hymotion L5 conversion kit from A123 System?
The Hymotion L5 conversion kit, by A123 Systems, was installed at a Toyota dealership in Massachusetts, one of seven U.S. service centers that do the conversion. Although the standard hybrid system including the nickel-metal battery remains intact, Toyota dealer Cheyenne warms this is not a minor addition of a few Toyota parts as the conversion adds a large, 5 Kilowatt Hour lithium battery pack and a 110 Volt charging port at the rear bumper of the vehicle. The existing energy monitor in the Prius’ dashboard is also modified to show the new battery’s amount of charge.
The Chevrolet Colt will most likely run exclusively on electric power while the on-board batteries remain charged. A Westminster Toyota dealer says that system could mean that drivers that make solely shorter trips might never use any gasoline at all. The gasoline engine will only ‘kick in’ to recharge the battery pack if and when needed. The gasoline engine does not power the vehicle directly.
The cost of converting the Prius to plug-in power was more than one could ever expect to see in actual gas savings admits Toyota dealers Olympia. Plus the actual 8 mpg achieved during testing was not quite up to par with claims of 100 mpg. However, the plug-in Prius does show that this technology will produce huge gains in fuel-economy. And we drivers are more than happy to be headed in this direction for the future of hybrid vehicles.
Volvo Dives into Plug-in Hybrid Technology
Volvo has been struggling amid slumping global sales, but that hasn’t stopped the automaker from diving into research and development. One such as product of its R&D efforts is a new plug-in hybrid that will be due by 2012. Volvo has committed itself to producing a high mileage diesel-electric plug-in hybrid, but it has yet to confirm its plans to sell the vehicle in the U.S.
Lexus ES Still Critical to Luxury Brand Lineup
As one Lexus’ most popular models, there will be plenty of drivers that will be happy to see a revamped Lexus ES 350 coming to showrooms later this month. While it may not be a full redesign, the updating certainly brings needed enhancements.
Euro Civic Type-R Teases U.S. Consumers
In the U.S., Honda is mostly known for producing somewhat conservative, economical cars. However, the image of Honda outside of the States is far more performance oriented. This is attributed to a range of models that can be had overseas, but remain unavailable here.
