Hybrids Plus
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Hybrids Plus was a company devoted to converting hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), including vehicle-to-grid capable PHEVs. Towards the end of its existence, it converted Ford Escape HEVs to PHEVs by replacing the stock battery with a PHEV battery in the original location (as opposed to augmenting the stock battery with an additional battery, as normally done by other PHEV conversions), and adding a charger and a plug.
History
The company was founded July, 2006 in Boulder, Colorado to convert a Toyota Prius for the State of Colorado. In 2007 Hybrids Plus won a contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, to convert a Ford Escape, and a contract with Xcel Energy to convert 6 Escapes to V2G capable PHEVs.
In 2007 Hybrids Plus started the development of the "Inverger," a bidirectional charger and inverter for vehicle-to-grid applications, funded in part by a grant from the State of Colorado, Governor's Energy Office.[2]
In the summer of 2008, a malfunction due to a manufacturing error[3] in one of its Prius PHEVs conversions resulted in a fire that destroyed the vehicle.[4] As a consequence, Hybrids Plus started a program to examine and upgrade each of the PHEV conversions it had manufactured. Afterward, Hybrids Plus completed only one more Prius PHEV conversion, and then discontinued that product line.[5]
In the fall 0f 2008, A123 contracted Hybrids Plus to recall all of the vehicles it converted, and remove A123's Li-Ion cells.
In April 2009, Hybrids Plus ceased. Its assets were absorbed by Eetrex, a company whose owners include some of the former owners of Hybrids Plus.
Final work
At the end of its life, Hybrids Plus was:
- Fulfilling the A123 contract, by replacing the A123 cells in its conversions with cells from K2 Energy
- Continuing development of the Inverger
- Performing Ford Escape PHEV conversions
See also
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- IEEE Spectrum article featuring a PHEV conversion by Hybrids Plus
- AutoBlogGreen article
- NYSERDA program
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