But requires external charging...

Hacking Hybrids (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/07/01/8380233/index.htm?cnn=yes).

From the article:

After charging in the garage overnight, the souped-up Prius gets about 100 miles per gallon--roughly twice what a regular Prius gets at best.


So why don't hybrids come with a sytem like that built in?

Check out another company - http://www.energycs.com - who is doing the same thing and I think has more experience with it. I believe they're using a bigger battery pack, for a realized 150mpg. Right now everybody's limitation is Toyota's electric drive component. It's only good up to 34mph, and then the gas engine has to run.

PHEVs are probably going to be where everything ends-up. It takes the best of electric cars (diverse energy sourcing) and liquid-fuel re*****hment (instant refueling) to cover every possible need - efficiency AND range. Make a "flex-fuel" PHEV, and everyone would probably be downright giddy about it. ;-)

Rode in a Prius yesterday - very nice car. Nicer than I expected, for sure. Rides nice, comfortable, extremely quiet and I lreally dig the speedometer placement up near the windshield.

I read somewhere else that Toyota is shooting for a 2008 Prius to achieve 110 MPG standard due to a transition to a Lithium battery for longer life and lighter weight...

I read somewhere else that Toyota is shooting for a 2008 Prius to achieve 110 MPG standard due to a transition to a Lithium battery for longer life and lighter weight...
Probably Lithium-Polymer, which is where the biggest development interest is at the moment. There are some safety issues there, including the tendency to immolate if you don't manage high-rate charging correctly.

Anyway, the 110mpg is only possible with a PHEV. Toyota has been on-again, off-again about doing their own PHEV. The most recent word was but a couple of days ago, and they stepped back into "waffle" mode about it. I personally think they will, because there are too many people (like the two efforts cited above) who will do it for them if they don't.

Ooooh, and it's promised by Toyota to be cheaper!

CHECK IT (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=108022)

Rode in a Prius yesterday - very nice car. Nicer than I expected, for sure. Rides nice, comfortable, extremely quiet and I lreally dig the speedometer placement up near the windshield.

I noticed the newer ones don't look too bad, either. A bit smallish, but then I'm looking at Fits and other smaller cars, too.

I noticed the newer ones don't look too bad, either. A bit smallish, but then I'm looking at Fits and other smaller cars, too.

I drove one of my friends' Prius and it was really peppy! I didn't find it to be small, but then again, I'm only 5' 8"...