San Diego Gas & Electric Co. Unveils New Plug-In Hybrid Cars

As part of its Clean Transportation Program, San Diego Gas & Electric Co. has equipped two Toyota Prius hybrid cars with new technology that will allow them to get more than 100 mpg simply by plugging them into a standard wall outlet.

The breakthrough technology was unveiled Wednesday at the San Diego Regional Transportation Center, and marks the halfway point for a year-long study to determine the effectiveness of the new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs.

Although the PHEV will not be commercially available until 2009 or 10, SDG&E used a kit made by Hymotion for the two-hour process of converting their hybrid vehicles into plug-ins.

Around 70 people came to watch the conversion Tuesday, the first of its kind in San Diego. Many in the audience were auto-fleet managers, who are Hymotion's current targeted customers.

If the after-market conversion kit, which may be available as early as next year, is sold in mass quantities then the price drops significantly. The kits used by SDG&E cost $12,500, but conversions can reach up to $40,000.

"I've been driving one of these for a year and a half now, and I drive an average of 60 miles a day, and get 106 mpg," said Ricardo Bazzarella, co-founder and president of Hymotion. "It's perfect for short trips of 20-30 miles, and you can drive it anywhere, too."

Officials from San Diego Gas & Electric are touting the benefits of plug-in cars.

This technology comes at a crucial time for auto businesses, many of which are falling behind the consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars. According to a report put out Tuesday by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), although 88 percent of Americans agree that "auto manufacturers should be required to make more fuel efficient vehicles," the number of car models getting at least 30 mpg dropped from 61 in 1998 to 46 in 2007.

The two SDG&E PHEVs will be tested over the next 6 months for gas mileage, operating costs, safety and maintenance, metering needs, drivers' experiences, and electricity use.

The cars will be assigned to a new SDG&E employee each month, and if the results, which come out in early 2008, are promising, SDG&E will begin looking at plug-in technology for heavier-duty cars.

The electricity will cost less than $1 for the mileage equivalent of using one gallon of gas, which is over $3.