Hybrids Plus
{{Short description|American company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Hybrids Plus
| logo = HybridsPlus logo.jpg
| logo_size = 200px
| type = Privately held company{{cite press release|title=ZAP Launches Sale of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Car, Tests Show up to 120 Miles per Gallon|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS97064+10-Mar-2008+MW20080310|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917155719/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS97064+10-Mar-2008+MW20080310|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-17|agency=Reuters|accessdate=2008-09-24 | date=2008-03-10}}
| genre =
| foundation = 2006
| defunct = 2009
| founder = Carl Lawrence, Davide Andrea
| location_city = Boulder, Colorado
| location_country = United States
| location =
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| industry = Automotive industry
| products = PHEV conversions
| services =
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| assets =
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| owner =
| num_employees = 20
| parent =
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}}
File:HybridsPlusPriusBatteries.jpg conversion with PHEV-30 (30 mile or 48 km all-electric range) battery packs]]
Hybrids Plus was a company operating from 2006 to 2009 that was devoted to converting hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), including vehicle-to-grid capable PHEVs.
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.{{cite web|title=Hybrids Plus Among Colorado Grant Recipients|url=http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=18151}}
In the summer of 2008, a malfunction due to a manufacturing error in one of its Prius PHEVs conversions resulted in a fire that destroyed the vehicle.{{cite web|title=CRN PHEV Field Report Update |url= https://crn.cooperative.com/Resources/TechSurveillance/items/2008/FieldReport0613.htm }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} As a consequence, the company started a program to examine and upgrade each of the PHEV conversions it had manufactured. After this, only one more Prius PHEV conversion was completed and then that product line was discontinued.{{cite web|title=Available sources of Prius PHEV conversions|url=http://www.eaa-phev.org/index.php?title=Template:Prius_PHEV_Options}}
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.
In fall 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 operations. Its assets were absorbed by Eetrex, a company whose owners include some of the former shareholders of Hybrids Plus.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://archive.today/20130415051759/http://spectrum.ieee.org/may08/6174 IEEE Spectrum article] featuring a PHEV conversion by Hybrids Plus
- [http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/09/19/v2g-phev-just-another-green-car-day-in-colorado/ AutoBlogGreen article]
- [http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Funding/1088pon.pdf NYSERDA program]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Category:Privately held companies based in Colorado