Electric Cars Revived: Behold the Plug-In Hybrid

2008-10-09T01:01:00.003-07:00

There is a growing and vocal movement across the country to commercialize plug-in hybrid vehicles, or PHEVs. The reason is simple enough: With these vehicles' extended electric-only driving range of typically 20 to 50 miles, daily driving costs are measured in pennies rather than dollars, just the same as with battery electric cars. Those with limited commutes or around-town driving needs that fall within a PHEV's all-electric range may never visit a gas station again. Even those with more extensive daily driving requirements may find that the combination of electric and gasoline hybrid power used results in more than 100 mpg average fuel economy.
With its potential for zero-emission motoring and fuel cost savings, the value of a PHEV is without question. That said, there is a rather hefty cost to acquiring these capabilities. Today, it requires over $10,000—sometimes substantially more so—to modify a hybrid like a Toyota Prius into a PHEV. That's quite a financial stretch considering a hybrid already presents buyers with a sizeable incremental cost over conventional models, typically measured in the thousands of dollars.
Another important consideration is that such a conversion could place a new car warranty in jeopardy if it creates problems with the factory powertrain, electronics, or battery system. That's less an issue with fleets that spend substantial sums to gain experience with early advanced technologies and vehicles, and have maintenance staff to deal with issues if they arise. It is a greater concern with individuals dependent on their new car warranty.

Today's high PHEV costs could become a thing of the past once major automakers offer plug-in hybrids at the showroom. Automakers like GM and Ford point to the battery as the real challenge, since the power required for extended all-electric operation requires much more on-board energy than a standard gasoline-electric hybrid's nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries can typically provide. Thus, commercially viable, mass-production PHEVs will happen once the battery challenge is overcome. The same really holds true for electric cars in general.

In the meantime, there are plenty of serious contenders aiming to come up with the ideal battery to power both plug-in hybrids and electric cars. One of those is A123Systems, a leading supplier of high-power, nanophosphate lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications. This battery technology is being incorporated in A123Systems subsidiary Hymotion's Battery Range Extender Modules (BREMs), which are being used by electric utilities, state government entities, and private companies to create PHEVs for demonstration today. The rationale is that by building a groundswell of support for PHEVs and actually getting units on the road and into production, costs will come down, a market will build, and automakers will be encouraged to focus on PHEVs in a big way. While it could be some time before cost and mass market challenges are overcome, the process has clearly caught the attention of automakers and prompted them to devote substantial resources to exploring PHEVs today.

Wisconsin Public Power Inc. (WPPI), a nonprofit power company serving 48 municipal owned utilities in Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, and Iowa, recently converted a pair of Toyota Prius hybrids into PHEVs using Hymotion's L5 Lithium Polymer conversion pack. WPPI already offers incentives for its member utilities to purchase hybrids and neighborhood electric vehicles, and has expanded its program to include incentives for converting hybrids into PHEVs. Its conversions were done at a contract price of $12,500 each, with Hymotion providing both hard parts and labor.

A-list women celebrate their own in Hollywood

2008-10-09T00:52:00.001-07:00

In the year of "Sex and the City," perhaps it's no surprise that an event honoring women drew some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

Nicole Kidman, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez, Diane Keaton and Halle Berry joined dozens of other stars in a ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel on Monday for Elle magazine's 15th annual Women in Hollywood tribute, honoring seven noteworthy women in entertainment.

Fonda served as an informal entertainment ambassador before the program, chatting up actress Kat Dennings and introducing Amber Tamblyn to Shirley MacLaine. Meanwhile, the evening's host, Chelsea Handler, shared laughs with Jenny McCarthy and Cheryl Hines. Other guests included Kate Beckinsale, Courteney Cox, Eva Mendes, Angie Harmon and Cheryl Tiegs.
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Elle's annual dinner pays tribute to women "who are telling our stories" in Hollywood, said editor Roberta Myers. This year's honorees included Berry, Fonda, Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Sigourney Weaver, Isla Fisher and director Catherine Hardwicke all of whom are featured in the magazine's November issue.

"Someday hopefully it won't be necessary to allocate a special evening to celebrate where we are and how far we've come," Weaver said. "Someday women writers, producers and crew members will be so commonplace, and roles and salaries for actresses will outstrip those for men, and pigs will fly."

Though things have improved for women, "we do have a long way to go," she said.

Hathaway said in today's Hollywood "women are about so much more than how they look."

"I think it's pretty remarkable that, at 25, I'm able to say that my role as a woman in Hollywood is purely as an artist, not a cause," Hathaway said. "I'm free to play my characters as I imagine them, far beyond what size jeans they wear."

Fisher thanked "my baby daddy SBC" (Sacha Baron Cohen) and paid homage to Kidman, "who paved the way for all us Aussies."

MacLaine continued the praise.

"Nicole Kidman has been a revelation to me, and it's not easy for me to be revelated," she said, calling Kidman "my star child."

Kidman thanked all the directors who "molded" her, particularly Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack.

"They were men in Hollywood who loved women," she said.

Fonda thanked all the women in the house and Hollywood itself.

"Aren't we glad we're not bankers," she said. "We are in the most fantastic business."

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Electric Cars Revived: Behold the Plug-In Hybrid

A-list women celebrate their own in Hollywood