DOE Jumps on PHEV Bandwagon

I’ve been salivating over PHEV’s (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) for at least the last two years.  Finally, the government sees some value in them as well.  Now, I will state right up front that I don’t think that this is the vehicle of the future.  Just like the existing hybrids - its a stepping stone.  Thursday at the Detroit Auto Show, the U.S. Department of Energy has pledged $30million towards PHEV research while the auto industry has agreed to match that for a total of $60million.  To me, that doesn’t seem like a lot of money for research.  The money is mainly for battery development.  The goal is to have a 40 mile range on EV-only by 2016.  In my opinion, this should easily be attained.  There are plenty of EV companies out there that can get plenty of range.

Auto companies originally scoffed at PHEV’s.  Then people started hacking their Prius’s and installing battery kits.  When people were getting 100+mpg from these after-market modifications, Toyota - and others - started to take the possibility seriously. There are several companies that are now making kits for people to buy.  It seems like every automaker has a PHEV in the pipeline - most noteably, the Chevy Volt.

As soon as a company can get the Prius kit down to $5,000 - I’m in.  I’d love to get 100+mpg.   If you want to learn more about PHEV - your first stop should be CalCars.org.

Source: CNN Money