Take out the Hymotion pack and just drive it. Don't need those extra batteries for a road trip, too much weight. Besides, have the guy just ask TheForce about around town with a Hymotion pack, over 2,000 miles and he finally felt like filling up.

Wayne

It's obvious that by the way they designed his trip, with stops every 30-40 miles to recharge, they intend to do it almost all on electric, using next to no gas.

When it's over, they'll look at the tank and say "Wow! We only used half a gallon - that's 2,200 MPG!". The one tank is what they say now, then they trump it later for effect.

Of course, as a result, a really good bicycler could get to DC faster and not use any gas.

6 days/1100 miles = 183 miles per day. A well-conditioned (professional or just sub-pro conditioned) biker could pull that off.

-->Adam

I don't like this kind of publicity stunt because it paints the plug-in as "not ready for prime time". I'd be interested if they ran a 2010 alongside and had to complete the trip in 2 days.

The same thing happened in last year's rally. The plug in took an extra hour to complete the course.

I think it sounds rather ridiculous. Everyone is going to laugh because of the short distances and recharges. They should have came up with a better plan or simply modified the gas tank to hold more fuel.

Wayne, I have not filled up yet. I'm at about 1400 miles and don't plan on filling up until about the end of June or if I'm lucky the day before I head to Hybridfest.


I think this is a bad idea to promote the short range plug-in this way. Normal people wont want to take days just to travel a hundred miles or so unless that was the plan to begin with. I know I wont be stopping every 30-40 miles to recharge on my way to Hybridfest.

How long has it been since your last fill up? Are you worried at all about your gas going bad?

I drive a Prius for the economy of it. I don't see how this experiment shows bottom line economy.

With the cost of this Hymotion battery modification plus the cost of the electricity to charge it, I wonder if it would be any more economical over 100K miles vs. a stock Prius. How do you factor in the cost of the system failing over this period.

I would like to see this driven straight through. Only plugged in to eat and use the bathroom. With only one overnight stay in the middle of the trip. Repeat 91 times. That would be more realistic.

Then we could look at the data to see if it is economical for long trips since the premise of this is a 1100 mile trip.

Jay touched on the point I was going to make. You use the electricity when you can and gas went you can't. That to me is what makes it a plugin hybrid. I can imagine how long it would have taken me to get to the Green Gran Prix on electricity alone.
I just drove it!
Chris

Hello All, I just thought I would throw in my two cents worth here.... There are actually many different reasons for this trip, and yes, publicity and media attention are a major goal. However, getting attention for the plug in systems will hopefully have several results. Of course, my boss would like to sell more Prii (even though our dealership already sells more Hybrids than any other dealer outside of California) and right now, Mr. Stewart has a possible sale of 600 Prii, to be converted to Hymotion Plug Ins, to our local power company. Yes, 600. Toyota, however has shown reluctance due to the plan to convert them and is balking at allowing such a sale. Perhaps media attention will help loosen their dragging feet.

Another goal is to try to get more people educated about the true capabilities of a Plug In Hybrid. I drove this particular car for a while back and forth to work (25 miles one way) and achieved 120 mpg. Mr. Stewart and I hope to see a much higher figure at the end of this trip. Please bear in mind that the ICE does engage at times for the warm up cycle due to EPA regs which state that the catalytic converters must be at operating temp within 240 seconds of starting the vehicle. For a Prius, this means Ready On. Why? Once these regs are adjusted, higher fuel economy can be achieved by most drivers in ANY Prius.

If you care to search the thread I posted in the Main Discussion section, http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/61836-north-palm-beach-fl-washington-d-c-one-tank.html you will see the planned route and stops. Please note that most of the overnight stops will be limited to the five hour recharge time. This will be a challenge to me as well as I will be getting "catnaps" for the majority of the time. Already, several PC members have offered their homes for recharge spots, showing what I can only describe as True Grassroots American Spirit. We are planning a stop in Raleigh, NC at the Hymotion Headquarters where there will be media covverage as well. The final destination is set for the Environmental Protection Agency on the National Mall in Washington D.C. We hope to have Congressman Tom Rooney and Senator Bill Nelson there to officially unseal the gas tank.

I finish with this one last thought. Why are we doing this? Because we can! (And for the FUN of it!!)

C'mon Folks, Lighten up a little and enjoy the ride! But, if anyone does wish to debate the issue further, I welcome the opportunity. To paraphrase our new President, "We won't all agree on everything and that is not a bad thing!" By the way, if anyone wants to stop by on the road, whether to discuss the trip, the car, or just to say Hi, I will buy the coffee!!

Rick Kearney
"D.C. Or Bust!"

OK Just a little more "Horn Blowing" here... Here is a letter we received...

Florida House of Representatives

HOUSE MAJORITY OFFICE

402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida
32399-1300

Adam Hasner

322 The Capitol
Majority Leader (850) 488-1993

May 29, 2009
Mr. Earl Stewart
Earl Stewart Toyota
1215 US Highway One
Lake Park, FL 33403
Dear Mr. Stewart:
Congratulations to you and your team on the kick-off of your plug-in hybrid tour of the
Southeastern U.S., with the ambitious goal of driving from North Palm Beach to Washington,
D.C. on a single tank of gas.
I would have very much liked to be there with you and others at your June 1st event in North
Palm Beach, but unfortunately I am unable to attend. However, as the leader in the Florida
Legislature on issues related to electric cars and plug-in hybrids, I have attached a brief statement
of commendation in support of your groundbreaking effort.
Additionally, I understand that one of my local constituents who has worked very closely with
me on electric vehicle initiatives, Charles Whalen of Delray Beach, a Director of the Florida
Electric Auto Association, is planning to attend the Monday morning event with the Toyota
RAV4-EV plug-in electric car that I drove in last fall’s election campaign.
Thanks again for all you are doing to advance the cause of promoting plug-in electric vehicles in
Florida. After my time in the RAV4 EV last year and as a long time hybrid car driver (Toyota), I
am convinced the time has come to kick this movement into high gear.
Best wishes for a successful trip.
All my best,
Adam Hasner
Florida House Majority Leader

District 87

Florida House of Representatives

HOUSE MAJORITY OFFICE

402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida
32399-1300

Adam Hasner

322 The Capitol
Majority Leader (850) 488-1993

STATEMENT OF HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER ADAM HASNER ON
THE EARL STEWART TOYOTA TEAM’S HISTORIC DRIVE
TO WASHINGTON DC

"As the sponsor of House Bill 879 to provide incentives for plug-in hybrids here in Florida - as
well as being the state’s first legislator to purchase a hybrid and also to drive a plug-in electric
car on a daily basis, I applaud Earl Stewart and his team for their vision and commitment to
making this journey from Florida to D.C. a reality.
"This historic trip that will take a commercially available plug-in hybrid from North Palm Beach
to Washington, DC on a single tank of gas will prove the promise of plug-in vehicles for
Americans is now a reality.
“Relying primarily on ‘made in the USA’ electricity for power, Earl Stewart’s groundbreaking
journey will raise awareness of plug-in hybrids as perhaps the best near-term, cost-effective
solution available to us today for substantially reducing our dependence on foreign oil,
enhancing our national security and revitalizing our economy by powering our daily driving with

electricity generated from domestic energy sources."

Last two tanks 08/12/29 and 09/03/28.

No. By the time they gas would go bad / if it goes bad I would be almost out of it anyway and would be filling up.