Joseph, Both excellent questions, but neither of which I know the answer to. As for the first, if you had asked me that question 2 years ago, I would have said "yes, definitely not". But Toyota is the largest automaker in the world (in terms of both sales and capitalization) and as such is not a monolithic organization; like GM, or any other large automaker for that matter, there are internal factions and differences of opinion. So I would venture to say that it probably depends on whom you speak with at Toyota. The fact that A123 has already signed up Toyota dealers as its certified retail installers, and will continue to sign up more of them, is in itself probably good evidence of that.
As for your second question, again, I don't know, but I would suspect so, if not directly then at least through various intermediaries. :-) Yes, Priuses with the A123/Hymotion plug-in conversion kit installed in them have been tested by the EPA for emissions and have passed such testing and thus are EPA certified. As for whether you'll find such results on the government website you mentioned, I don't know; maybe, maybe not; maybe not if that website only publishes figures for new cars, stock, as they come from the manufacturer. But if you are interested in seeing the specific data and results of the EPA emissions testing of the A123/Hymotion converted Priuses, I would encourage you to contact A123 and ask them for that data. They should be willing to give it to you or direct you to a website containing that data. When dealing with plug-in electric vehicles, the government uses a "miles per gallon equivalent" figure. This is calculated based on the fact that a gallon of gasoline contains approximately 33.75 kWh worth of energy. So in the case of the 2002 Toyota RAV4-EV, for example, which consumes 270 Wh/mile (from the wall to the wheels): (33.75 kWh/gal.) / (.27 kWh/mile) = 125 miles per gallon equivalent (usually abbreviated as "mpge"). You would have to work out a blended average mpg-mpge for a certain number of miles driven per day in the case of an A123/Hymotion converted plug-in Prius, given that it is using both gasoline and stored electricity from charging the car. Putting together such a matrix for different number of miles driven per day might make a good school homework assignment. :-) You flatter me, but to be honest about it, you're giving me more credit than I'm due. Anyone who has been around the EV community for a while has developed some connections. There is a certain correlation there that goes with time invested. Those in the Florida EAA leadership who have been around longer than I have better connections than I do. As for the specific case at hand, I am a few connections away from having any real influence in the matter. I was merely a facilitator and foot soldier in the chain of communications. To be entirely honest about it, Fran Sullivan-Fahs is the one who deserves all the credit and is making this happen through her sheer determination, tenacious, persistent follow-through, and perseverance. She is a one-person tour-de-force! ... (double-entendre there on the "tour") Charles ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph T. " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Charles Whalen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "FLEAA Mailing List" <listserv@floridaeaa.org> Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 2:11 AM Subject: Re: [FLEAA] clarification on ordering procedure for A123/Hymotion plug-in conversion kit for Prius Two questions... Don't you think that Toyota doesn't like having PHEV conversions done at their dealerships? Has A123 had discussions with Toyota management? Has the A123 mod. been tested for emissions certification also, in which case I assume mpg figures will be published on the government website fueleconomy.gov. It would be interesting to see how exactly the government rates the fuel economy of the cars, since a PHEV's mpg is largely dependant on how much you charged up the battery. You must have some very good connections Charles if you got an exception for someone. On 6/22/08, Charles Whalen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi all, > > Unfortunately, I was the original source for incorrect information that > has > now gotten out and proliferated around Florida, especially among our > Florida > EAA membership, on this particular subject, and senior management at A123 > has made a request for me to please correct the erroneous information and > set the record straight. > > By way of background, in trying to be helpful, I had unwittingly given > false > information to Fran Sullivan-Fahs in Tallahassee based on some seemingly > logical (at the time) but ultimately incorrect assumptions I made, by > directing Fran to a A123/Hymotion commercial fleet installer. This caused > some issues for A123, as it does not correspond to their standard ordering > procedure. Fran's situation ultimately rose up to the highest levels at > A123, whereupon senior management made a decision to make a one-time > exception for Fran and Fran alone, which will not be made again nor > allowed > to happen again in the future, and they would like that to be known. > > Senior management at A123 would like everyone in Florida to know that > there > is one, and only one, way and official procedure for individual retail > customers to place an order for their A123/Hymotion plug-in conversion kit > for the Prius and arrange for it to be installed by one of A123's > certified > retail installers, and that is to sign up on A123/Hymotion's secure order > reservation webform at: > https://www.a123systems.com/hymotion/products/reserve_yours, with the > payment of $1,000 refundable deposit. Doing this will put you in the > official order queue for a conversion kit and schedule for installation at > A123's nearest certified retail installer, which at the present time for > us > here in Florida is Fitzgerald Toyota in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A123's > national list of certified retail installers can be seen here: > http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion/get_charged/where_can_i_get_one. A123 > is increasingly signing up local Toyota dealers around the country as > their > certified retail installers. At some point, there may well be some Toyota > dealers here in Florida that become A123 certified retail installers, but > the only way that can happen is if A123 knows where the retail demand for > their kit is coming from and that there is substantial demand here in > Florida; and the only way they will know that is if people sign up on > their > official order reservation webform on A123/Hymotion's website, and not by > trying to contact one of their certified installers. A123 has no idea > where > the end demand is coming from and can't get a handle on that if people go > through their certified installers rather than through A123 itself. So > that > is the rationale for their policy, which makes perfect sense. > > To reiterate the policy, because this is important -- anyone who tries to > order their plug-in hybrid conversion kit through one of A123's certified > installers and not through A123 itself will *not*, I repeat, will *NOT*, > get > in A123's system in their official order queue and will *NOT* get a > conversion kit. You *must* use A123's order reservation form on their > website. The one-time exception that was made for Fran Sullivan-Fahs will > *not* be made again for anyone else. > > The price for the conversion kit, including installation, is $10k, plus a > $400 destination charge, and comes with a 3-year warranty. Right now > there > is a 6-month order backlog, from order to delivery and installation. > Anyone > who signs up on the order reservation webform today will be scheduled for > delivery and installation of their conversion kit in December 2008. > > A123/Hymotion has the only US Government (DOT, EPA, and NHTSA) certified, > crash-tested, and approved plug-in hybrid conversion kit on the market for > the Prius. > > Sorry for any confusion I may have caused by the situation surrounding > Fran's conversion and the incorrect information that has gotten around > because of that, which was solely my own fault. Hope this helps to > clarify > matters. > > Best regards, > > Charles Whalen > Delray Beach, FL > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > _______________________________________________ > Florida EAA mailing list > listserv@floridaeaa.org > http://www.floridaeaa.org > -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. 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