In late August, Poulsen Hybrid, based in Shelton, Conn., and run by Ulrik Poulsen, CEO of Bridgeport Magnetics, plans to offer a $7,000 conversion kit that turns any conventional car into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle by mounting small electric motors onto the rear wheels. The Poulsen system also uses a lithium-ion battery pack and will double a car's gas mileage, says Poulsen, the system's creator. The company hasn’t released data on how far the system will go on a single charge, but charging it would also cost less than a dollar, he says.
The company's website says owners can install the Poulsen Hybird conversion kit themselves in about 3 or 4 hours. But Poulsen is working to set up a network of authorized installers, which will market the kit and install it for an estimated fee of around $500 to $600. Poulsen hopes to have at least four authorized installers by the fall, including ones in California, Florida, Washington and possibly Connecticut.
Judging from the description given here, my guess is that the gas engine in the car will run the whole time and the car will get assistance accelerating from a stop by the electric motors. Starting is where a lot of fuel is burned, so this would make sense. It's possible that the motors might run up to a certain speed and then the engine would fire up and take over, but I sort of doubt this since the creator claims that an individual could install this conversion kit his or herself in a few hours. Getting that sort of function out of the vehicle would probably require an installation only a very experienced mechanic could do.
I think I've posted to this blog enough times that I think global warming is a big lie meant to disguise the true intentions of marxists, so don't assume I'm interested in these kits for that reason. I view energy saving technology through a national security lens - the more we have, the better off we are, and the longer we can make it last while still delivering maximum effect will allow us to remain more powerful than our enemies further into the future. I want in on these technologies because I want to see oil exporting nations that are hostile to us shrivel up and die.
As for the pricetag on these, they're not cheap! The article does mention that early adopters will bear the brunt of these prices, and the author used an example of how a $3,000 computer X number of years ago is now only a few hundred dollars. This is true, but I think I'd rather get one of these sooner rather than later.
Of course I will tag some portion of my Forex account for this role, utilizing my usual method of financing the purchase on a credit card only after my Forex account can generate enough interest to make at least the monthly minimum payment. But this project would carry an extra element to make it more affordable: if this technology can double the mileage of my vehicle, then it would cut in half my normal fuel expenses. Therefore, in addition to some amount of interest earned through my Forex trading, I could also devote half of the money I normally spend on fuel to paying off the conversion kit instead.
I think there's great potential, here. I hope these companies make it.
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