Does this make your Escape or Mariner Hybrid a plug-in wannabe? Help promote this concept by getting yours a bumper sticker:



All profits go to CalCars to further promote plug-in hybrids.

 

While I wait on my 08 Ford Escape Hybrid order, I saw this on TV :

http://zenncars.com/

I know that it is not a hybrid (or a FEH ), but it is a true "plug-in" electric vehicle.

I live in Canada & was not even aware of this.
The Rick Mercer video is pretty good too.

Hugo

 

I just saw something on the news about them last week...they have been cleared by transport Canada for domestic usage.

 

Hmmmm.... top speed 25mph, range 35 miles.... With those specs they won't find many buyers in the US.

 

I've test driven some like it. Basically, it's a water tight golf cart, to be used in gated communities, island resorts, large manufacturing plants, etc. Not as a daily commuter car for the average joe. And the acceleration is slower than the FEH in EV mode. And can't even go as fast as the FEH in EV mode!

So imagine your FEH with NO GAS ENGINE and an interior half the size.
The one I drove had heat, but no A/C and had lead-acid batteries.
It felt like a toy.

 

OK, please help ou t a newbie who gets his 08 FEH tomorrow.

Does this mean you can convert an FEH to this technology for significantly more MPG?

 

These are not cars but rather NEVs, or Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. In the US they are taxed and regulated uniquely. In most places they are governor-limited to 25 miles per hour and aren't eligible for EV and HEV tax benefits. In some states, NEV regulation is lumped together with everything from gasoline-powered scooters to Segways.

But that's changing. In 2004 Texas separated them into their own class of vehicle. Montana recently passed a law raising their NEV speed limit from 25 to 35. I've heard that Washington's done the same but that it's not actually been enacted there yet.

In the past, automakers have put forth legislation to outlaw NEVs in areas where limits exceed 35 miles per hour. They've said this is for safety, but there's almost certainly more to it than that. Like the ethanol topic, there are many pro/con opinions and the NEV conversation has become somewhat political.

 

Randy, to get 130-140 MPG from a Hybrid, any Hybrid, you need a custom built larger battery pack, and a custom built battery controller to interface with the car. You can "upgrade" for $25,000 to $35,000.

Just like the first few VCR's cost $1000's and now are cheap, at some point this battery cost will come down as well.

Right now, there are probably about 100 PHEV ( Plug-In Hybrid Electric cars ) on U.S. roads, but that number increases by about a dozen per month.

This "upgrade" obviously voids the car manufacturer's warranty, so I think these "upgrades" will happen more often as cars age beyond the factory warranty period. -John