PHEVs Highlight 2nd Hybridfest in Madison Wisconsin July 22
Jul 3, 2007 (From the CalCars-News archive)

Hybridfest is a gathering that expresses the
intense energy of hybrid owners who became
organized in the tens of thousands through online
venues like Yahoo Groups, PriusChat,
HybridCars.com and EVWorld. These communities are
where the famous "EV Button" was first discussed,
and where future Hypermilers first compared notes
about "pulse and glide" techniques.

Last year, the first Hybridfest showed that
drivers were willing to drive across the country
to come and talk about their passion. Those who
came to the event were able to see a PHEV for the
first time -- a car from Hymotion.

In the second annual Hybridfest, coming up in
three weeks, PHEVs and their owners will be
center stage. It will be one of the largest
gatherings of PHEVs to date. And it may include
an on-the-spot conversion. It's a great
opportunity for Midwesterners who haven't gotten
to our events to experience PHEVs!

We wish we could be there -- but many of those we
work with will be, including Sherry Boschert,
talking about her book both days, and Ted Bohn
from Argonne National Lab. A representative from
A123Systems, which acquired Hymotion, will be
there, as will Nick Rothman, a key player in our
Maker Faire and other conversions, and Pat Cadam,
of Pat's Garage in San Francisco. (Nick and Pat
have been involved in many West Coast Hymotion installations.)

Here's the list of PHEVs expected to be there,
followed by details and a local newspaper story.
We hope top sponsors Toyota, GM and Ford will be paying attention!

1. Prius PHEV - Todd Dore and Fox Valley
Electric Auto Association, "GrayPearl,"
EAA-PHEV/Manzanita Micro-style (#21 on our list
<http://www.calcars.org/where-phevs-are.html>)

2. Prius PHEV - Horacio Calvento, "Dual-PWR,"
EAA-PHEV/Manzanita Micro-style, Long Island Prius
Owners Group. (#26 on our list)

3. Prius PHEV - Wisconsin Public Power Inc.
(WPPI) by Hymotion (#43 on our list)

4. Saturn VUE Green Line PHEV - Argonne
Labs. Through The Road Parallel Hybrid. Research platform.

5. G-Volt PHEV - Argonne Labs. Series hybrid
with 10w hour battery . Chevy Volt hybrid specs
on Geo research platform. Vehicle to Grid capable.

6. In addition, WPPI is scheduled to have another
one of its stock Priuses converted to a PHEV by
Hymotion on-site on Sunday afternoon.

Learn more at <http://www.hybridfest.com> It's at
the Dane County Fair at the Alliant Energy Center
in Madison, WI Saturday, July 21 - Sunday, July
22, 2007. Admission to the Dane County Fair also
gets you admission to Hybridfest: Free for
children 5 and under, $3 for age 6-11, and $6 for
everyone 12+. Parking is free!

Hybridfest 2007 will include:
*Hybrid Owners Car Showcase - This year's goal: 200 Hybrids on site!
*Hybrid car test drives.
*Exciting and interesting exhibitors.
*Door prizes.
*Hybrid and environmental speakers.
*Hybridfest All-Hybrid Car Display Awards.
*Hybridfest People's Choice Awards.
*Hybridfest MPG Challenge (for Members).
*Lots of time for hybrid car owner camaraderie

A fuel savers' dream: Hybridfest plugged in with county fair
Madison County Times, Jeff Richgels — 6/28/2007
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/199294

Plug-in electric hybrid vehicles will be the
focus of the second annual Hybridfest, which
again is being held in conjunction with the Dane County Fair.

Thanks to their extra batteries, plug-ins can
travel up to about 40 miles per day solely on
electric power, enabling those who don't drive
much to all but forget filling up their gas tank.
(Non plug-in hybrids charge while the car is decelerating and at a stop.)

Plug-ins do draw power from power plants, but
that results in less greenhouse gas emissions
than from direct burning of gasoline. And since
the charging typically is done at night when
power demand is well below day-time peaks, a big
jump in plug-in use wouldn't mean a need for new power plants.

Eric Powers, founder of the Madison Hybrid Group
and an organizer of Hybridfest, sees plug-in
hybrids as a bridge to the future of all electric or hydrogen vehicles.

"I think it really is the next progression" in
vehicle technology, Powers said. "In my opinion,
people will think, Gosh, I'm driving so much on
the electric, why am I also lugging around this gasoline engine?' "

Companies sell conversion kits to turn regular
hybrids into plug-ins, and Toyota and General
Motors are embracing the technology. However,
conversions are costly, and automakers need to
improve the technology before it can come close to being mainstream.

Hybridfest, which will be two days (July 21-22)
this year after just one day last year, is
expected to feature the largest gathering of plug-in hybrids ever, Powers said.

He said he has received tentative confirmation
that Wisconsin Public Power Inc. will convert one
of its Priuses into a plug-in at Hybridfest on July 22.

Located last year outside the fairgrounds in the
south parking lot by the Rusk Street entrance,
Hybridfest this year is moving into the Alliant
Energy Center Exhibition Hall on the fairgrounds.

That means it no longer will be free -- admission
is $6 for adults -- but there are added benefits.

"It makes a lot of sense," Powers said. "Where we
were located last year, although it was nice, we
still were kind of off the beaten path. There may
have been people going to the fair who walked
right by it not realizing what was going on. And
the reality is, sponsors want to bring in big
items and they want power. We couldn't get power out there last year."

In addition to more hybrids, Hybridfest also will
feature biodiesel vehicles, electric bikes and
neighborhood electric vehicles, as well as free
hybrid test drives, Powers said.

All seminars are open to the public and there
will be larger displays. Details are available at www.hybridfest.com.

And Toyota will be sending its "Highway to the
Future," which Powers calls a "semi that's really
a traveling museum" of hybrid technology,
alternative fuels and the environment. For
details, go to www.highwaytothefuture.com.

With the move to the fairgrounds and increased
interest in hybrids as gasoline costs remain
high, Powers expects Hybridfest attendance to dwarf last year's.

"I think hybrid interest has only grown," he
said, "and we still year after year answer the
same questions: Do you have to plug-in regular
hybrids? Are they underpowered? Can I go 55 in
them? How often do you have to replace the
battery? And that's really the point of the show:
Come and learn more about it so that we can get rid of those myths."

People who pay $30 to become Hybridfest members
-- there is a link on the Hybridfest Web site --
can attend a half-day of activities just for members.

And there will be a "Hot Rods and Hybrids" event
open to the public on July 20 from 5-9 p.m. at
Quaker Steak and Lube in Middleton.