AQMD Orders 30 Plug-ins

The California South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) authorized the spending of $2.6 million for a test fleet of 30 plug-in electric hybrid cars and sport utility vehicles. Contracts were awarded to Quantum Technologies Inc. of Irvine, CA to furnish 20 Escape plug-in vehicles and Hymotion of Toronto, Canada to furnish 10 Prius plug-ins.

The board authorized a contract not to exceed $2.1 million with Quantum to buy and convert 20 of Ford Motor Co.'s Escape gasoline-electric hybrid SUVs. Their contract includes over $1 million for design costs. The Escapes will use batteries from Advanced Lithium Power Inc., a Vancouver, Canada, company in which Quantum is a 20% stakeholder.

Quantum has considerable experience in design, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of gaseous fuel management systems and alternate fueled vehicles. Since 1997 Quantum has produced over 16,000 alternate fueled vehicles.  Quantum is the manufacturer of record with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for GM’s CNG powered Chevrolet Cavalier, full size Van and medium and heavy-duty CNG powered Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks. In 2004, in response to a competitive RFP, Quantum was awarded a contract with AQMD to develop and demonstrate 30 hydrogen-powered Prius vehicles.

The board also authorized a contract not to exceed $6.23 million with Hymotion to buy 2 Priuses and turn 10 Priuses into plug-ins. The other 8 Priuses will be provided by demonstration sites. The cars will use batteries from A123Systems Inc. of Watertown, Mass. Hymotion has delivered Prius and Escape PHEVs to Argonne National Labs, National Renewable Energy Lab, CoStar, Veridian, FairFax County, and HOURCAR, and was in pilot production with over 35 orders at the time of their proposal.

The vehicles will be able to travel 30 miles as EVs.

Activity	20 Quantum Escape PHEVs	10 Hymotion Prius PHEVs
Design	$1,008,995	$50,000
Conversion
Battery Pack	$320,000	$115,000
Labor	$49,400	$4,000
Overhead	$96,413	$120,000
Infrastructure	$83,983	$126,667*
Testing	$295,405	$67,000
Service/Maintenance	$204,470	$80,000
Base Vehicles**	$756,600	$60,000
TOTAL	$2,815,266	$722,667
Cost Share	$719,653	$100,000
AQMD TOTAL	2,095,613	$622,000

*      Hymotion includes one fast charger demonstration
**    Quantum to provide 20 Escape Hybrid base vehicles. Hymotion to provide 2
      Prius base vehicles with the remainder to be provided by demonstration sites.

Delivery of the first vehicles is to be within 10 months of order with remainder due in 12 months.

Good news, but at what a price! It is of note that the battery packs from Advanced Lithium Power for the Escapes are $20,000 each and the packs for Prius are $11,500 each.  Not that they are the same size, but the cost is even higher than I would have thought. Their is a discrepancy in the AQMDs minutes as to whether the demonstration sites will furnish 8 or 10 of the Priuses, I have said 8 so their is agreement with the table.

Comments

[Michal]

You have two typos.
"Their" is used twice in the last sentence instead of "there".

[Kit P.]

Now Thomas Foreman can lead us in a chorus of God Bless America followed by a group hug. At the same time, to make sure your wallet is secure. While the folks at http://www.thesunsharvest.com look like they have a good product, when it sounds too good to be true maybe it is a con job.

Just because I have not been able to figure out how to make a ethical buck harnessing energy from the sun, does not preclude other from being able to do it. I have no objection to solar panels as status symbols like SUVs. Please spare me the world peace stuff.

[Kit P.]

I asked S. CARB in 1991 where the electricity was going to come from. Got a clever lie. Burning coal in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona is the correct answer.

[Ken Potter]

It is interesting that the batteries are still too expensive. Let us hope that EEStore is not a con job. The electricity can come from nuclear, wind, solar, biofuel or coal

[CM]

Only 40% of California electricity is from burning coal, and that percentage is dropping. California has substantial hydro, wind, solar, and The Guysers geothermal plant.