With gas prices at a whopping $4.00 a gallon, and people like me that drive for a living, spending $100.00 at the pump every time we fill up, not to mention rising cost of food, and the pinch in the real estate economy, that I had to see what else was 'out there' and find out more about the hybrid cars on the market right now.  

When I started researching I found a company called AFS Trinity Power  they did a conversion on the Saturn Vue greenline and turned into an extreme hybrid using power electronics and controls to get 150 MPG (yes that's miles per gallon).  

According to them it might be three years before we can even have this product available, I'm not sure about you but at $4.00 a gallon of gasoline who can wait for $5.00 and $6.00 per gallon at the pump to reach us, before people start looking for Extreme measures, like I did!   My 6 cylinder SUV gets 23 miles or less per gallon, and $100.00 each time I fill up is unacceptable.

OK so the main purpose of this blog is not to complain, but to let you know how exciting some of the upcoming changes should be over the next few years.   perhaps someone could talk to someone in Washington and let them know we need this before two - three years!    

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CATEGORY: Technology

What is the XH-150? The XH-150^TM is a plug-in hybrid electric car.

Isn't this car a Saturn Vue? This was a 2007 Saturn Vue Greenline, which we converted to an Extreme Hybrid^TM by custom fitting it with Lithium Ion Batteries, Ultracapacitors, a Motor Generator, our patented Power Electronics and Controls, and other parts. We did this to show automakers that they do not have to wait for new battery developments in order to create plugin hybrids that can go 40 miles on an overnight plug in charge. They can do this today by utilizing current lithium batteries protected within an AFS Trinity Fast Energy^TM system.

Do I need to change anything in my garage to use the Plug in feature? No - nearly all garages are equipped with a standard 110 Volt power plug, and this is all you will need to recharge the vehicle overnight. Additionally, you will be able to use a 220 Volt plug (such as you use for a clothes dryer) to charge the batteries in four hours, i.e. 3 times as quickly.

Can you switch to the gas engine "on-the-fly"? (i.e. without stopping the car?) Yes, the system will automatically switch to the gas engine when the electrical system needs a recharge or you can manually switch on the fly. The first prototype, which was built in just six months for demonstration at the auto show, doesn't switch automatically from EV to hybrid mode, but it soon will be retrofitted with automatic functionality. Until then, It requires stopping the car and manually switching modes, which takes about 10 seconds.

How often will I have to replace the batteries or other parts? Under normal driving habits the batteries will last for 10 years or 150,000 miles. Other auto parts used in the system will last as they do in today's cars.

Can the batteries recharge while you're driving? The batteries will recharge slightly from regenerative braking and coasting as they do in today's hybrids, but we do not expect very much extension of range under normal driving conditions.

What does Fast Energy mean? Fast Energy refers to our unique, patented system of fast energy storage and delivery. You can get an in-depth explanation from the 3D Extreme Hybrid Animation by clicking here.

What is a Capacitor, How does it work? A capacitor is an electronics device that stores energy as a battery does, but a capacitor can take in energy and let out energy very quickly, in our case giving the car fast acceleration without stressing the batteries. It allows the use of pure energy batteries such as are already available today.

Do your ultracapacitors contain nasty materials like cadmium? No - as is required by RoHS-Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Union, effective July 1st, 2006, which restricts the use of certain materials in electrical and electronics equipment, the ultracapacitors used by AFS Trinity in the XH-150 do not contain any of the following materials: Cadmium, Mercury, Hexavalent chromium, Polybrominated phenyls (PBB), or Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDE). Additionally, our ultracaps have "UL component recognition" and are manufactured to current ISO certification.

CATEGORY: Social / Political / Industry

How does this type of car affect the need for imported oil? If 80% of gas powered cars on the road were replaced by AFS Trinity's XH^TM drivetrain, our dependence on foreign oil could be reduced by as much as 75%. See Oil Consumption Model here.

Even though Extreme Hybrids, when operated in EV mode, are zero emission vehicles, isn't it true that coal power plants (which are often used to produce electricity) can produce just as much or more pollution and CO2 as gas-only cars? No. Even if XH^TM cars were powered exclusively by the dirtiest coal available they would still have much lower emissions than conventional cars. Moreover, there are many places where electricity is generated by hydro power, nuclear power and increasingly, by renewable energy sources such as wind turbines. The trend is for electricity to be generated more and more by renewables. Visit these sites for specific information about how plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles and the power plants that charge them produce significanty less air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions than conventional vehicles.
www.greyfalcon.net/plugins3.png
www.pluginamerica.org/images/EmissionsSummary.pdf
www.greencarcongress.com/2007/12/argonne-assesse.html
www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/energystorage/pdfs/42026.pdf
www.aceee.org/pubs/t061.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6DnoWbMYMk
Also see the Salon.com article by Joseph Romm, "The Car of the Future is Here."

CATEGORY: Availability

Can I buy this car? When? Not yet. We hope that there will be a production model available in 3 years. We are in discussions with auto makers and tier one suppliers who have an interest in this system.

Are you considering producing these cars or similar vehicles? Our preferred outcome is to license our patented XH^TM technology to automakers and have them produce and distribute the vehicles. We are also considering other alternatives.

Are you going to make a car for the average consumer? This technology is intended for the average consumer. That is the reason we are demonstrating it in an SUV to show that it could be available in any size vehicle with performance equal or exceeding today's vehicles.

CATEGORY: Cost

How much will it cost to plug in the car if I only drive in the electric mode? About $1/day or $7.56/week. You can take a closer look at the numbers on our XH-150^TM Performance Comparison chart available here.

What's the cost difference between electricity and gasoline? We estimate weekly gas cost, based on driving 340 miles per week, of $7.93 and weekly electricity cost of $7.56, for a total weekly fuel cost of $15.49. You can take a closer look at the numbers on our XH-150^TM Performance Comparison chart available here.

Does it depend where I live and my other electric usage? Yes. Electricity prices and your other electric usage will determine your cost.

If I travel as you said, 40 miles per day during the week and 100 miles on the weekend, what is my mileage cost compared to an all gas car? Total fuel cost would be $15.49/week compared to roughly $50/week for comparable hybrid SUVs. You can take a closer look at the numbers on our XH-150^TM Performance Comparison chart available here.

How much will a car like this cost? We estimate the XH^TM drive train will add an additional $8,700 to the retail price of the vehicle without the drive train. In the case of the Saturn Vue, which is roughly $22,000, the XH^TM version would cost about $31,000.

Will I have to replace the batteries? Based on 300 complete battery discharges per year, the useful life of the batteries would be about 10 years or 3,000 cycles or 120,000 electric miles. You would more likely elect to get a new car than replace the batteries.

CATEGORY: Mileage

Why do you call this a 150mpg car if it is mostly electric? Does it really get 150 miles per gallon? When discussing plug-in hybrid cars, mpg figures require deeper explanation. Here is ours: Gasoline mileage is calculated by using average American driving patterns estimated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and simulating the EPA combined urban/highway driving cycle of the host vehicle operating only with its conventional hybrid drive train. In 2003, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that 78% of Americans drive less than 40 miles a day. On those days, drivers of Extreme Hybrids will need no gasoline at all -- even driving an SUV. Say someone drives 40 miles a day 6 days a week and 100 miles the seventh day. That's 340 miles a week. The first 280 are electric. The next 60 miles use gas. That's 340 miles on a little more than two gallons of gasoline for the week, assuming 32/29 urban/highway mileage in the host unmodified hybrid SUV. Although this translates into 170 MPG, we use a more conservative 150 MPG to take into account that mileage will vary depending on where and how a car is driven, but we are comfortable that 150 miles per gallon of gasoline is a good number.

Will the electric range of the batteries ever be more or less than 40 miles? Yes, driving patterns, weather conditions, and a host of other factors will affect the range of the batteries.

CATEGORY: Company

What does AFST have that is proprietary that makes the company special? AFS Trinity holds several patents for the XH system, including the special electronics and controls unit, which is essentially the brain of the Extreme Hybrid^TM system.

Is AFS Trinity a subsidiary of a larger auto company? No. We are a small, private company.

What is the next step for the company? We are currently exploring the option of licensing our XH^TM system to major automakers or OEMs. Plan B would be to raise more capital, attract a few good partners and build and sell XH vehicles ourselves.