Plug-In Hybrid | Green Energy News

September 19 2004 – Vol.9 No.26

PLUG-IN HYBRID.

In the U.S. people don’t drive as far each day as they think. On average, 50 percent of those who drive 12,000 miles per year drive only 20 miles per day. (Occasional longer trips make up the additional mileage on the odometer.)

Still Americans like a comfort zone and insist that cars have a range between fuelings of 300 miles or so. Less than 300-mile range is one reason why battery electric vehicles never, or have yet, sparked the interest of U.S. drivers.

But it’s possible to have both pure electric, battery-only propulsion and long range with short refueling times - plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has announced that DaimlerChrysler will begin testing three hybrid electric Sprinter vans in the U.S. in 2005. One diesel version will be tested by the Kansas City Regional Transit Authority and two gasoline versions will be fleet tested by Southern California Edison and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (California).

The vans, to be built in Germany, will be able to travel 20 miles on battery power alone. The battery pack will be able to be recharged by plugging into a 110 or 220 volt outlet or by the vehicle’s conventional internal combustion engine. Plugging in overnight night should save 50 -75 percent in fuel operating costs.

The Sprinter also will be able to operate in gas/electric or diesel/electric mode. Fuel savings should be 10 -50 percent depending on driving mode.

A guess is that the engine in Sprinter hybrid will also act as a standalone generator to supply power for off grid, remote, jobsite or emergency use.

The Sprinter already seems to be a hit in the U.S. with contractors, delivery services, and motor home builders who like the standup head room in some versions of the van. A built-in generator would appeal to those markets as well.

Early press releases indicate that the Sprinter hybrid could become available to consumers in the near future. The hybrid design was developed by EPRI and partners. Visit EPRI at http://www.epri.com/