Plug-in hybrids are getting drafted for government work.

State and local governments are launching programs to see if it's
possible to convert their hybrid cars and trucks into plug-in cars.

State and local governments are trying out hybrid electric-gas vehicles
that recharge from a wall socket for their car and bus fleets.

These programs may help move plug-ins from the world of car hobbyists
into the mainstream.

Plug-ins are like regular hybrids in that they have both electric and
gas motors. But they come with more battery packs, so the car can run
more on electricity than on gas. They can get about 100 miles to the
gallon, get charged from a wall socket and generally emit fewer
greenhouse gases than conventional cars or other hybrids.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority recently
solicited contract bids for nine plug-ins, said Ray Hull, an official at
the agency. If the trial succeeds, the state will try to convert the 535
hybrids it owns into plug-ins. It will also use the program to
demonstrate the economic viability of plug-ins and promote the concept
with the public. The anticipated budget for the program is $10 million.

Gov. George Pataki, who is also boosting the state as a semiconductor
and nanotechnology center, was the force behind getting the program
through the New York legislature this summer, Hull added.

Meanwhile, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in California is
conducting a three-year test on a couple of plug-in vehicles, and the
city of Austin, Texas, last year teamed up with the local power company
to launch a $1 million plug-in incentive program.

Also in California, San Francisco has ordered diesel hybrids from
DaimlerChrysler for its municipal transportation fleet. (Another
company, Enova Systems, a plug-in conversions specialist, is promoting
hybrid diesel school buses.)

These programs may help move plug-ins from the world of car hobbyists
into the mainstream.

"There is kind of a snowball effect, from individuals and small
companies to larger companies and agencies," said Marc Kohler, the
business development manger at Valence Technology, which makes lithium
ion batteries for plug-ins and laptops. "Everybody is still in the
testing phase, but the testing is becoming more mature. People are
looking at crash testing and cold-weather testing."

Right now, only a few small companies, such as Energy Control Systems
Engineering and HyMotion, offer help to hybrid owners who want to
install the extra batteries necessary to turn a Toyota Prius into a
plug-in.

Although no major car manufacturer currently produces a plug-in hybrid,
they are beginning to warm up to the concept. "We are seriously studying
the plug-in, especially for short distance drivers," Yusei Higaki, a
project manager in the global external affairs division at Toyota, said
in an interview last month.

Plug-in price tag
To date, price has been a big issue. It costs about $10,000 to $12,000
to convert a car like a Prius into a plug-in, according to Kohler, and
the price can go higher, depending on the size and type of additional
battery and other features. Moreover, hybrids cost around $3,000 more
than an equivalent car powered simply by gasoline.

As a result, even plug-in enthusiasts such as Felix Kramer of the
California Cars initiative (CalCars) concede that, economically
speaking, the case for plug-ins is tough to make.

The price, however, for converting a hybrid to a plug-in could drop in a
few years to $5,000 or less, if larger volumes of orders start to come
in, Kohler said.

The driving range has been another major stumbling block. Batteries are
far less efficient, pound for pound, than gas in terms of storing
energy. A 500-pound battery can take a vehicle about as far as three
liters of gasoline can. As a result, electric cars can only go 70 to 200
miles before needing a recharge. With plug-ins, the battery gets drained
quickly if there's a lot of freeway driving, which means that consumers
are really just driving gas cars.

The range problem may begin to erode over time as batteries improve,
Kohler said. For government agencies, however, range will not
necessarily be a deal breaker. School buses only go a few miles a day,
and a lot of government fleet cars drive around within fairly limited
geographic areas. Thus, agencies could conceivably start buying plug-ins
for fleets before the range problem is worked out.

As with most government programs, the plug-in tests will take time.
Sacramento has put about 1,000 miles on its plug-in so far, and the car
will be driven for two more years in the first round of testing. Only
after that test will the California city determine whether to start
purchasing these kinds of vehicles. The city agency plans to share some
preliminary data from the tests soon.

New York will probably get its first plug-in vehicle, a modified Toyota
Prius, later this year, Hull said. The state also wants to get a Ford
Escape hybrid converted to a plug-in. No one has converted an Escape, he
said, so it could take a number of months before that car arrives. Under
the New York program, the state will take delivery of three prototypes,
and then expand to nine.

Converting the cars isn't the only problem, Hull added. Getting the cars
can be a challenge, too. Cars in the New York state pool are silver, but
that color is in high demand on the Prius, so the state may have to
settle for green, he said.

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