Hybrids Plus

Hybrids Plus
Privately held company [1]
Industry Automotive industry
Founded 2006
Founder Carl Lawrence, Davide Andrea
Defunct 2009
Headquarters Boulder, Colorado, United States
Products PHEV conversions
Number of employees
 20

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 Systems 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

Hybrids Plus plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius conversion with PHEV-30 (30 mile or 48 km all-electric range) battery packs

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

  1. ↑ "ZAP Launches Sale of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Car, Tests Show up to 120 Miles per Gallon". Reuters. 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  2. ↑ "Hybrids Plus Among Colorado Grant Recipients".
  3. ↑ "Toyota_Prius A123 car fire investigation report". Archived from the original on 2008-08-30.
  4. ↑ "CRN PHEV Field Report Update".
  5. ↑ "Available sources of Prius PHEV conversions".
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