I’ve been test driving a Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) slated for release in early 2012…I’ve been mostly driving around town (75% local roads, 25% highway) using EV mode for~50% of the driving and hybrid mode for the other half. I have been averaging 97 miles per gallon. Note: I received complimentary use of this Toyota 2010 Plug in Prius and all comments posted here are my own opinion.

My initial observations:

Battery Charging:

I have solar panels installed on my roof.  Despite not having a time of use plan or smart meter installed yet, I know that my electricity rates are in Tier 1 (13.4 cents per kilowatt-hour, or kWh) so I have been liberally re-charging the battery from home during the day in between trips.

It is easy to plug in the car into a standard 120 volt/3 prong home outlet.  The dash has an indicator light to let you know charging is taking place and the light goes out when fully charged. I recommend you have  a dedicated circuit since it draws a lot of electricity.  My electricity would go out if I was re-charging the car and running the vacuum on the same circuit for instance.

While I am excited to get 97 mpg over the past two weeks, I still have to add in the electricity costs to achieve these fuel savings. If you aren’t on a time of use metering system, you will have a hard time knowing your battery charging costs in real time. You’ll have to wait for your electricity bill at the end of the month.

It takes about 3 hours to fully charge the battery, which has 5.2 kWh of total capacity, and about 4 kWh of useable capacity.

If your electricity rates are really high (meaning your household uses a lot of electricity and you are charged at up to  to 32 cents per kWh) and if you don’t have a time of use system which will allow you to charge your vehicle cheaply at certain times of the day, I’m not sure what the real costs would be or if a consumer would want to pay more for a Plug-in Hybrid.

Range:

The PlugIn Prius Battery as a range of 14 miles which initially seems low to me. However, with mostly driving short distances and making use of the eco driving mode and the “B” option you can add a more more miles onto the battery life through re-charging while driving.

General Driving:

The Prius feels solid and handles well. I like the Power Mode for faster acceleration. The dashboard display takes some getting used to coming from a conventional car dashboard but the driver feedback is great and if you want to maximize your fuel economy, it is easy to do because of the real-time info while driving. It’s too bad all cars don’t provide real time fuel economy info–it was sobering to see just how much fuel you use driving uphill for example.

I generally drove the car in Eco Mode which makes it slightly harder to accelerate quickly when you are stopped but it allowed me to use the battery more effectively.

The visibility out the rear window is limited because of the hatchback design. There is a split screen effect, you can see the road a bit from the window under the rear door but I found myself less confident about what I was viewing out the rear window and relied on the side mirrors a lot more than I normally do. A family member’s Prius I drove briefly two years ago had a rear view camera on the GPA screen on the dash which showed me exactly was what behind me. I don’t know why this feature has been removed. I would recommend adding it back.

Test Driving the Prius Plug-In Hybrid is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

The 2010 San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition Survey is currently underway, we are gathering data regarding many organization’s alternative fuel/advanced technology fleets in order to complete our 2010 annual report for the Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities Program. The DOE uses this data to report to Congress, as required by the Energy Policy Act, on the success and benefits of the program and to calculate the millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel displaced in the nation due to the conversion of fleets from gasoline and diesel fuels to alternative fuel/advanced technologies.  The survey will ascertain the number and types of alternative vehicles currently in use, their various fuels and the frequency of use, the fueling station availability for both public and private entities, the idle-reduction and fuel economy improvements for fleets, vehicle miles traveled reduction and incentive programs, and other general information such as operational, stakeholder, and outreach activities of the Clean Fuel Coalition.

The survey will span various city governments of San Diego County, School Districts, Transit Systems, Private Enterprises, and many other fleet types. If you are a fleet manager in San Diego County please take some time to complete the linked survey; your most accurate information is truly appreciated.

Click here to take survey

As part of this years San Diego Clean Cities Survey there will be an updated list of the contributors, collaborators, and companies that have completed the survey and would like to be noted for their efforts in reducing petroleum fuel use. Thank you to all whom have put forward your efforts in transportation sustainability:

Private:

Allied Waste Services, Cloud Nine, EDCO, Kick Gas Co-op , TerraMoto Transportation , Port of San Diego, San Diego Zoo,

Public:

City & County:

Carlsbad , Chula vista , Coronado , Del Mar ,  El Cajon , Encinitas , Escondido , Imperial Beach , La Mesa , Lemon Grove , National City , Oceanside , Poway , San Diego , San Marcos , Santee , Solana Beach , Vista

State & Federal:

Airport Authority, Air Pollution Control District, Camp Pendleton,  California Highway Patrol, CalTrans, Olivehein Water District, Valley Center Water District, US Navy, US Postal Service,

Educational:

Transit Systems:

Chula Vista Transit, MTS, North County Lifeline Transit, North County Transit, SD Transit Authority

Non-Fleet Contributors:

NewLeaf BioFuels

2010 San Diego Clean Cities Progress Report is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

STORAGE WEEK 2010:

The Premier International Networking Hub for Grid-Scale Energy Storage and Renewables Integration

July 12-15, 2010 | Rancho Bernardo Inn | San Diego, CA

Four Integrated Events  Exploring  the  Accelerating Opportunities in Energy  Storage! Four Meetings in One Week  Covering  All Aspects  of a Game-Changing Set of Technologies & Applications Worth  Billions  in Future Market Share

#1. Community Energy  Storage

#2. Making  the  Business  Case  For Grid-Scale Storage  Projects

#3. The Energy  Storage  Summit  - Policy,  Opportunities & Economics

#4. The Technology & Investment Showcase

www.infocastinc.com/storage10

About the Summit In the tradition  of the previous two sold-out editions  of this flagship event, the expanded programming  of Storage Week promises  to be the ultimate  networking event of the year for anyone with a stake in the integration  of storage into the grid. The conference’s four separate  but complimentary events will cover the complete range of storage policies,  markets, project  applications and technologies. Storage Week will kick off with a pair of Workshops on July 12 – Community energy Storage and Making the Business Case For grid-Scale Storage Projects. The two-day energy Storage Summit – Policy, opportunities & economics (July 13 & 14) will examine  the market design, policy incentives  and barriers that apply to all storage systems. The Summit will be highlighted  by two separate  tracks: Bulk Storage and Grid Services.

Storage Week will conclude on July 15 with the Technology & Investment Showcase; a future-oriented day dedicated to investment  potential,  market trends and astonishing  new technology. All four days of the meeting  will not only tackle current  policy and market barriers but will provide a robust environment  for networking and deal-making  between storage vendors and users as well as investors and storage companies seeking venture  or growth capital.

Infocast would like to offer you a special discount valid for 10% off any
new registration for Storage Week 2010. This discount code is valid on any
new registration through June 12th. Please use code ACAA. Please feel free
to share this discount. Discount codes cannot be combined with any other
offer and are valid on new registrations only (valid with early-bird rate
through 6/12/10). If you have any questions about the event or would like to
register by phone please feel free to call me at (818) 888-4444.

Once  again, Storage Week is the place to be this July for anyone with a stake in the integration  of storage into the grid. Storage Week Event Structure  At A Glance: MONDAY July 12 #1 Community Energy Storage 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. #2 Making the Business Case for Grid-Scale Storage Projects 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. TUESDAY July 13 The Energy Storage Summit DAY ONE Policy, Opportunities & Economics 8 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. WEDNESDAY July 14 The Energy Storage Summit DAY TWO Morning Session 8 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Storage: Making It Real Afternoon Session 1:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Track One Bulk Storage Track Two Grid Services THURSDAY July 15 The Technology & Investment Showcase 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Grid-Scale Energy Storage and Renewables Integration is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

San Diego EarthWorks will be presenting their annual Earth Fair on Sunday April 18th at Balboa Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Clean Fuel Coalition and San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership will be in attendance on the west side of the Cleaner Car Concourse. There will be information on various clean fuel organizations and the Clean Car Concourse will feature vehicles of all descriptions that run on alternative fuels (hybrids included). This isn’t just “the future”: these are vehicles being used on the road today. The vehicles will be on display in the Pan American Plaza next to the San Diego Automobile Museum.

As part of San Diego State University’s Annual GreenFest / EarthDay event there will be a “Clean Fuel Car Zone” on Wednesday April 21st from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Campanile walkway in front of Hepner Hall.  The showcasing of alternative energy vehicles will include various types of vehicles in categories ranging from full electric, PHEV, CNG, Biodiesel, to Ethanol, with more to be announced.

The University of California San Diego will also be making Thursday April 22nd an “Alternative Transportation Day” starting with a Bicycle Breakfast from 7–10 a.m. at the Gilman Information Booth (Free breakfast snacks and safety information). Then the “Green Machines” will be displayed from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Warren Mall. The green vehicle exhibit will be featuring Gidget the Smart Car, UCSD green fleet vehicles, Tesla Roadster, biodiesel Mercdes, MTS natural gas-electric hybrid bus, UCSD’s Greenline biodiesel bus, hydrogen converted car, diesel hydrogen hybrid pickup truck and more. Learn how to compute your carbon footprint and see how you can reduce it by using alternative transportation.

EarthDay Clean Fuel Vehicle Showcases is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

The San Diego Clean Fuel Coalition will be assisting Argonne National Labs in the EcoCAR Challenge – the 2010 EcoCAR Challenge Competition is May 17-27, 2010 in Yuma, Arizona and San Diego, CA. The Outreach event will be held May 24-25 in San Diego at the Westin Gaslamp. For more information please visit the EcoCAR Challenge website or GreenGarageBlog website.

ABOUT EcoCAR (From EcoCarChallenge.Org):

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge is a three-year collegiate advanced vehicle technology engineering competition established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM), and is being managed by Argonne National Laboratory.

The competition challenges 16 universities across North America to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles by minimizing the vehicle’s fuel consumption and reducing its emissions while retaining the vehicle’s performance, safety and consumer appeal. Students use a real-world engineering process to design and integrate their advanced technology solutions into a GM-donated vehicle.

Students are designing and building advanced propulsion solutions that are based on vehicle categories from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) regulations. They explore a variety of cutting-edge clean vehicle solutions, including full-function electric, range-extended electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell technologies. In addition, students will incorporate lightweight materials into the vehicles, improve aerodynamics and utilize alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen.

Teams are following a real-world approach modeled after GM’s global vehicle development process (GVDP), giving students valuable experience in real-world engineering practices, resource allocation and meeting deliverables. While previous student engineering competitions focused primarily on hardware modifications, EcoCAR includes a unique focus on modeling and simulation, as well as subsystem development and testing.

During the three-year program, General Motors will provide vehicles, vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support. The U.S. Department of Energy and its research and development facility, Argonne National Laboratory, will provide competition management, team evaluation and technical and logistical support. Through sponsoring such advanced vehicle engineering competitions, GM and the U.S. Department of Energy are helping to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Year One

In the first year of EcoCAR, participating teams will use math-based design tools—such as Argonne’s Powertrain Systems Analysis toolkit (PSAT) or similar vehicle models research—to compare and select an advanced vehicle powertrain that meets the goals of the competition. Teams also use software to ensure that their chosen components fit into their vehicle and that the electrical, mechanical and software systems function properly. Teams also use software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) to better develop controls and subsystems.

Years Two and Three

In Years Two and Three, students translate their design into reality and develop a working vehicle that meets the competition’s goals. The teams come together at the end of each academic year to compete against the other university teams in more than a dozen static and dynamic events.

During the weeklong competition, student teams will demonstrate the vehicles so when compared to stock production vehicles they meet or exceed the following goals:

• Incorporate technologies that reduce petroleum energy consumption on the basis of a total fuel cycle
well-to-wheel (WTW) analysis;
• Increase vehicle energy efficiency;
• Reduce criteria and WTW greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria emissions; and
• Maintain consumer acceptability in the areas of performance, utility and safety.

EcoCAR Challenge is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Air Resources Board unveils $3.7 million in rebates for clean vehicles

SACRAMENTO – On March 17th the California Air Resources Board announced $3.7 in rebates for zero-emission and plug-in hybrid vehicle rebates for
California drivers as part of an overall $42.3 million program that Governor
Schwarzenegger approved in 2007 to spur technological innovation in the
transportation sector.

The rebates offer up to $5,000 for the purchase of zero-emission and plug-in
hybrid light-duty vehicles and up to $20,000 for the purchase of
ARB-certified or approved zero-emission commercial vehicles on a first-come,
first-served basis.  Funding for the program comes from a dedicated revenue
stream that draws from smog abatement, vehicle registration, and vessel
registration fees.

“These rebates will make cleaner cars more affordable for California
consumers and give businesses and local governments an incentive to add
advanced vehicles to their fleets,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “The
monies get innovative vehicle technologies on the road more quickly so
California can meet its clean air and climate change goals.”

Rebates are available to individuals, business owners and government
entities in California that purchase or lease new eligible zero-emission or
plug-in hybrid electric light-duty vehicles now. Eligible vehicles are cars,
trucks, commercial
medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, motorcycles or neighborhood electric
vehicles.

In October 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 118 which provides
approximately $200 million annually through 2015 to the California Energy
Commission, the Bureau of Automotive Repair and the ARB to fund air quality
improvement projects that will accelerate clean engine technologies.  ARB
was appropriated approximately $42.3 million to fund air quality improvement
programs that will pay for cleaner equipment such as hybrid truck and buses,
zero-emission and plug-in hybrid cars, and motorcycles. The amount of
funding available to pay for these technologies is dependent on the amount
of revenues generated from vehicle and smog abatement fees.

Cars and trucks account for over half of the emissions that contribute to
ozone and particulate matter as well as about 30 percent of the total
greenhouse gas emissions in California.
Zero-emission vehicles and near-zero emission vehicles are a key element of
California’s plan for attaining health-based air quality as required in the
federal Clean Air Act.

Exhaust from cars and trucks have been known to exacerbate a variety of
conditions such as lung and heart disease, and asthma, and even contribute
to premature death.  Cleaner vehicles reduce California smog and climate
change emissions, and save consumers money.

A complete list of eligible vehicles, application and rebate instructions
can be found at: http://cvrp.energycenter.org

To learn more about what you can do to reduce your individual greenhouse gas
emissions, visit ARB’s carbon calculator at http://www.coolcalifornia.org

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental
Protection Agency.  ARB’s mission is to promote and protect public health,
welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air
pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy.  The
ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and
maintain health based air quality standards.

Incentives speed the introduction of advanced technology is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition