The number of converted Priuses has reached 24 -- see list at http://www.calcars.org/­where-phevs-are.html Here's a Green Cars Congress story and Fairfax's press release.

Fairfax County, Virginia Adds Hymotion Plug-In Prius To Its Fleet Green Car Congress 9 December 2006 http://www.greencarcongress.com/­2006/­12/­fairfax_county_.html by Jack Rosebro

Virginia's Fairfax County Department of Vehicle Services, which already has conventional hybrids in its fleet, took delivery last week of a Toyota Prius PHEV conversion from Hymotion of Toronto, Canada. The vehicle is part of the county's regular motor pool, and is available to employees traveling on county business.

The Hymotion L5 conversion kit features a 5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that supplements the OEM NiMH battery pack in the Prius.

The PHEV system recharges from the engine and regenerative braking during operation and from the power grid when the vehicle is parked and plugged in. Once the PHEV battery is depleted, the vehicle resumes normal operation using the factory battery. While the PHEV battery is in use, the OEM battery fuel gage indicates its status.

Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors voted in June to join Plug-In Partners (earlier post), a nationwide initiative to encourage automakers to develop and produce plug-ins. According to James Gorby, director of the county's Department of Vehicle Services, more than half the cars in the United States travel less than 25 miles on most days.

Hymotion's engineers completed the conversion on the evening of Tuesday, 28 November. Dave DuVal of Fairfax County drove the vehicle to attend the Electric Drive Transportation Association conference in Washington, DC Wednesday and Thursday.

With some highway and some city miles, the Prius display shows that with 94 miles driven, the car has averaged 77.9 mpg, starting on its third battery discharge. We like it so far! -Dave DuVal

Hymotion claims that the L5 pack can double the fuel efficiency of the Prius, pushing it to more than 100 mpg in combined city/highway driving, depending upon the actual drive cycle.

PRESS RELEASE
Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
Dec. 6, 2006
Fairfax County Converts Car Into Plug-in Hybrid

The Fairfax County Department of Vehicle Services last week had a plug-in conversion installed into a Toyota Prius, making it one of the first governments in the country to possess a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

The conversion includes an extra battery pack that can be charged from a wall outlet and allows the car to travel approximately 30 miles without using the gas engine. Once the battery pack runs down, the car reverts back to its original hybrid mode.

"Fairfax County has won a national award for our comprehensive 20-year environmental plan and our use of new technologies, such as this hybrid plug-in vehicle, further demonstrating our ongoing commitment to using all of the tools at our disposal in protecting our environment," said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly.

Fairfax County sees great potential for fuel and emissions savings if this technology becomes widely commercialized since more than half the cars in the United States travel less than 25 miles on most days, according to James Gorby, director of the Department of Vehicle Services.

Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors voted in June to join Plug-In Partners, a nationwide initiative to encourage automakers to develop and produce plug-ins. The organization, started in Austin, Texas, has attracted nearly 500 member governments, utilities and a variety of businesses and nonprofits.

"The addition of this plug-in hybrid electric vehicle supports one of the six priorities of the Board of Supervisors - Environmental Protection," said Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, who chairs the board's Environmental Committee. "We are excited to be at the forefront of this initiative nationwide."

Fairfax County government has taken action in a variety of areas to improve air quality as part of the Board of Supervisors' Environmental Agenda: "Environmental Excellence for Fairfax County: A 20-year Vision," which is available at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/airquality.

The vehicle is part of the county's motor pool and is available to employees traveling for business purposes. The conversion was designed, built and installed by Hymotion, an engineering company in Toronto, Canada.