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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]]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | <!-- Full Text, is qconline being stingy? | ||
+ | Just make it free, I want to see the blog... | ||
+ | |||
+ | 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, | ||
+ | political unrest rocks oil-rich countries, and | ||
+ | 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, | ||
+ | originally a hybrid car, now a modified plug-in hybrid. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Standard hybrids are primarily powered by | ||
+ | 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 | ||
+ | nonprofit group of entrepreneurs, engineers and | ||
+ | environmentalists. The small group built the | ||
+ | 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 | ||
+ | "Maker Faire" in San Mateo, Calif. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "CalCars converted Ryan's car over a weekend in | ||
+ | public to show that a bunch of backyard engineers | ||
+ | could do this in a couple of days," Mr. Davi | ||
+ | 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 | ||
+ | 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 | ||
+ | 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 | ||
+ | industries, Mr. Felmy said there will likely be | ||
+ | more alternatives to gas-fueled vehicles in the future. | ||
+ | |||
+ | High gas prices and environmental concerns are a few reasons. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "There are a bunch of reasons," Mr. Felmy said. | ||
+ | "These are new things where people want to be environmentally conscious. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "With improvements in technology, they'll | ||
+ | continue to grow. The Japanese have an incredible | ||
+ | lead in auto technology to produce them. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "It's very expensive (now). You have to see the | ||
+ | long-term performance. Battery technology is | ||
+ | still the linchpin for those vehicles. It has | ||
+ | never improved to make it viable." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Mr. Davi, from CalCars, envisions a combination | ||
+ | of new technology and alternative fuels powering cars in the future. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "We want to put pressure on automakers to make | ||
+ | these cars," Mr. Davi said. "After two months, | ||
+ | we've had announcements from GM and Toyota that they're working on them. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "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 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. |