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Difference between revisions of "PriusBlue EVents"

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'''''Couple goes electric'''<br>Geneseo natives get 100 mpg with converted plug-in hybrid''
 
'''''Couple goes electric'''<br>Geneseo natives get 100 mpg with converted plug-in hybrid''
 
* [http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=299047 On very little gas, plug-in hybrid gets couple around]
 
* [http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=299047 On very little gas, plug-in hybrid gets couple around]
 +
Until then, Mr. Fulcher and Ms. Minder will drive
 +
back home with their PHEV to Seattle after their
 +
Aug. 5 wedding. They hope for a bright future
 +
here on earth -- for both couple and car.
 
|| [[Image:Qconline 299047 car26a.jpg|thumb|[http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=299047 QCOnline]]]
 
|| [[Image:Qconline 299047 car26a.jpg|thumb|[http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=299047 QCOnline]]]
 
|}
 
|}
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<!-- Full Text, is qconline being stingy?
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Just make it free, I want to see the blog...
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CAPTION: Ryan Fulcher, formerly of Geneseo,
 +
displays his Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle that
 +
gets more than 100 miles per gallon.
 +
[At URL, see More photos of car and batteries]
 +
 +
GENESEO — Ryan Fulcher and his fiancee, Danika
 +
Minder, came home to Geneseo this week, bringing
 +
with them new technology and a chance for a better way of life.
 +
 +
The Seattle residents and Geneseo natives watch
 +
gas prices soar more than $3 per gallon,
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political unrest rocks oil-rich countries, and
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environmental issues such as global warming grab headlines.
 +
 +
Their message is simple and aptly stated on their
 +
car bumper -- "This Plug-In Hybrid Gets 100 plus MPG."
 +
 +
Their mode of transportation is the Toyota Prius,
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originally a hybrid car, now a modified plug-in hybrid.
 +
 +
Standard hybrids are primarily powered by
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gasoline engines. An electric motor kicks in
 +
while the car is idling, backing up, moving in
 +
slow traffic or after the gas engine has provided the power for acceleration.
 +
 +
While efficient, standard hybrids are still 100 percent gas-fueled.
 +
 +
A plug-in hybrid is more of an electric vehicle
 +
with a gas tank for a backup, said CalCars
 +
spokesman John Davi. Its batteries have to be charged each night after use.
 +
 +
CalCars, based in Palo Alto, Calif., is a
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nonprofit group of entrepreneurs, engineers and
 +
environmentalists. The small group built the
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first plug-in Prius in 2004 and is working on others.
 +
 +
Mr. Fulcher's plug-in is one of maybe 10 such
 +
vehicles in the world, Mr. Davi said. His Prius
 +
was converted in April by CalCar volunteers at a
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"Maker Faire" in San Mateo, Calif.
 +
 +
"CalCars converted Ryan's car over a weekend in
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public to show that a bunch of backyard engineers
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could do this in a couple of days," Mr. Davi
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said. "Why can't Ford and GM do this?"
 +
 +
Mr. Fulcher has done some additional work on his
 +
plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, also known as a
 +
PHEV. He thinks there is a future for these
 +
vehicles and the technology is already available.
 +
Mr. Fulcher made the 2,000-mile drive from
 +
Seattle to Geneseo this week in his Prius.
 +
 +
While running on electricity, the vehicle is
 +
quiet and has no exhaust, Mr. Fulcher said. While
 +
showing the expanded battery pack in a storage
 +
container underneath the trunk, he said the only
 +
real maintenance is a drop cord used to plug into
 +
a 120-volt outlet each night at home.
 +
 +
Mr. Davi said the PHEV's are made for daily commutes.
 +
 +
He said on a 20- to 40-mile drive, the car might
 +
not use a drop of gas. But, if it goes beyond
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that, it simply becomes a regular efficient hybrid, using the gas engine.
 +
 +
"It doesn't really perform as well on the long drives," Mr. Davi said.
 +
 +
Getting 50 mpg on long drives isn't such a bad
 +
thing for Mr. Fulcher, but 100 mpg is even better
 +
on the shorter distances. He simply plugs it in
 +
at night to recharge his vehicle.
 +
 +
Mr. Fulcher said it cost him about $3,000 to put
 +
in the additional batteries to convert the care into a PHEV.
 +
 +
But, he said if major automakers put a program in
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place, it could lead to more demand and lower costs.
 +
 +
John Felmy, chief economist for the American
 +
Petroleum Institute in Washington, D.C., said
 +
there are too many unknowns regarding plug-in
 +
hybrids. While he represents the oil and gas
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industries, Mr. Felmy said there will likely be
 +
more alternatives to gas-fueled vehicles in the future.
 +
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High gas prices and environmental concerns are a few reasons.
 +
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"There are a bunch of reasons," Mr. Felmy said.
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"These are new things where people want to be environmentally conscious.
 +
 +
"With improvements in technology, they'll
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continue to grow. The Japanese have an incredible
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lead in auto technology to produce them.
 +
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"It's very expensive (now). You have to see the
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long-term performance. Battery technology is
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still the linchpin for those vehicles. It has
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never improved to make it viable."
 +
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Mr. Davi, from CalCars, envisions a combination
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of new technology and alternative fuels powering cars in the future.
 +
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"We want to put pressure on automakers to make
 +
these cars," Mr. Davi said. "After two months,
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we've had announcements from GM and Toyota that they're working on them.
 +
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"The question is when will they be available for sale."
 +
 +
Until then, Mr. Fulcher and Ms. Minder will drive
 +
back home with their PHEV to Seattle after their
 +
Aug. 5 wedding. They hope for a bright future
 +
here on earth -- for both couple and car.
 +
 +
Plug-in hybrid
 +
 +
A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is a modified hybrid
 +
vehicle that runs on both gasoline and
 +
electricity, but when charged is primarily an
 +
electric car with a gas-powered engine for backup.
 +
 +
— PHEVs are charged using 120-volt current.
 +
 +
— PHEVs, using both electricity and gasoline, get
 +
as much as 100 miles per gallon, with an equivalent cost of $1 a gallon.
 +
 +
— On commutes, PHEVs run primarily on
 +
electricity. Longer drives require gasoline.
 +
-->
  
 
===Saturday June, 24===
 
===Saturday June, 24===

Revision as of 06:06, 9 September 2006

These are the EVents which Blue and Ryan have been at or will be attending.

Sunday July, 30

This article appeared in the Quad-Cities Dispatch with the title:

Couple goes electric
Geneseo natives get 100 mpg with converted plug-in hybrid

Until then, Mr. Fulcher and Ms. Minder will drive
back home with their PHEV to Seattle after their
Aug. 5 wedding. They hope for a bright future
here on earth -- for both couple and car.


Saturday June, 24

SEVA:EVents 2006 06 24 - Greenwood Classic Car & Rod Show ( Gassless On Greenwood )

As in the past this is one of the highest visibility shows SEVA attends each year and this year was no exception. Quite a few people asked if that was the car they say in the Seattle Times Article.

Thursday June, 1

SEVA:EVents 2006 06 01 - Cascadia Transportation Conference at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond.

Saturday, May 13

SEVA:EVents 2006 05 13 - Citizens for Rideable Communities - PHEV Appearance in Port Townsend.

Monday, May 8

SEVA:EVents 2006 05 08 - The Port of Chelan County AVI Tech Group meeting, first PFC test run.

Saturday, May 6

SEVA:EVents 2006 05 06 - The 8th Annual Lacy Alternative Fuel Fair and Electric Car Races

Weekend, April 29-30

SEVA:EVents 2006 04 29 - The UW EE Centennial Celebration Events.

Weekend, April 22-24

View Maker Faire Photos from the initial Inaugural Maker Faire conversion.