2008

Plug In Partners

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PIP Declares Victory

Plug In Partners

I t's pretty rare when you get to declare victory and bring the troops home. And those of us at Plug in Partners are grateful to our partners and friends who have made this announcement not just possible, but in a very real sense, a reality. Here's the press release: PLUG-IN PARTNERS DECLARES VICTORY In January 2006, Austin Energy launched the national Plug-In Partners campaign, a grassroots effort to demonstrate to automakers that there is sufficient demand to support the mass production of fle

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Goal!

Plug In Partners

W hen we started the Plug In Partner initiative, our primary objective was to create a nationwide campaign to urge automakers to accelerate development of plug-in hybrid vehicles. But our goal was to see them manufacturered and in the show rooms. As stated at the opening press conference by Austin's Mayor Will Wynn in January, 2006, “ Plug-in hybrids represent a real near-term solution to America’s over-reliance on foreign oil imports and energy prices that escalate the cost of everything and th

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Plug-in Manufacturers Grow

Plug In Partners

I t wasn't that long ago that I remember a Chrysler ad that bragged about how its new Charger, with the big V 8, was a hybrid. it burned gas and rubber. Now, the very ungreen Chrysler is changing its tune. Might was well, especially when your competition is well into the second verse of a very different song. In the last few weeks, not only has Chrysler made announcements, so has Mazda, Hyundai, and Nissan.

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Plug In 2008

Plug In Partners

T he Plug in 2008 National PHEV Conference in San Jose by most accounts was a big success. Here's one of the announcements that came out of the conference : EPRI, GM, 34 Utilities Collaborate to Advance Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles PALO ALTO, Calif. – July 22, 2008; The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced today a research and development collaboration with General Motors and 34 top utilities to facilitate integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles ( PHEVs ) into the grid,

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The 80-20 Rule

Plug In Partners

O ften when I talk about Plug-Ins , I say that PHEV's are a perfect embodiment of the 80-20 rule. There are a lot of versions of the rule and it has been written about a lot. But in the case of the PHEV , the logic goes something like this: Roughly 80% of our daily trips are under 35 miles. And the remaining 20% are longer trips. So why carry around five times more battery storage and weight for that 20 %?

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VW Jumps on the Bandwagon

Plug In Partners

A nother major manufacturer is jumping on the plug in hybrid bandwagon. Here's the story from Motor Trend : VW jumping on plug-in hybrid bandwagon with TwinDrive system Nate Martinez June 26 2008 Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn announced today that pre-production testing of the automaker's plug-in hybrid electric system, dubbed TwinDrive, is underway with the full support of the German government.

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Toyota Plug In

Plug In Partners

T oyota President Katsuaki Watanabe made his company's intentions clear yesterday about PHEVs. Here's the story from the LA Times: Toyota promises plug-in hybrid vehicle in U.S., Japan and Europe by 2010 By Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press June 11, 2008 TOKYO -- Toyota is introducing a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries in the U.S., Japan and Europe by 2010 , under a widespread "green" strategy outlined today.The ecological gas-electric vehicles, which can be recharged

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