Plug-In Hybrids Bill Signed Into Law In Minnesota

Michael Santo of RealTechNews writes:

We’ve written many times on RTN about hybrid cars, but something we haven’t written about is the plug-in hybrid. A plug-in hybrid is one in which extra batteries are added to the car, to extend the time at which it can run in fully electric mode. The drawback is that it has to be plugged in at night to recharge, as the normal recharging measures can’t keep up. Such a car, however, can get twice the MPG that a hybrid can.

The last two weeks there have been a couple of stories that show more interest in plug-in hybrids. First, Toyota said it was looking into the technology which it had previously derided. There are, by the way, already aftermarket kits for that are made for Priuses (Priii?) to convert them to plug-in hybrids, but these are about $10,000 (and that’s if you order more than 100). Also, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed into law H.F. 3718, the nation’s first law promoting plug-in hybrid, flexible-fueled vehicles.

The law instructs the state to buy plug-in hybrids on a preferred basis when they become available. It also encourages Minnesota State University-Mankato to develop flex-fuel plug-in hybrid vehicles, and creates a task force consisting of business, government and utility representatives to develop a strategy for using, and producing such vehicles in Minnesota. [Source: EV World]

We Say: I have a lot of questions about this. I mean, it sounds good, but the Prius is already hard to justify economically, though not greenhouse gas-wise. I already paid a premium for my Prius; how much more for one of these? And, how much does it save in terms of money and greenhouse emissions? Meaning, sure, you don’t buy gas, but how does that relate to the extra electricity you pay for? And how do the greenhouse gases emitted by the power plant balance against the savings from the tailpipe?

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[tags]prius,toyota,plug-in hybrid,minnesota law,flex-fuel,tim pawlenty[/tags]