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Modified Prius gets up to 180 Miles Per Gallon

Posted by timothy on from the oh-what-I-wouldn't-give-for-that-in-my-subaru dept.

shupp writes "The NY Times (free reg. required) reports in that some folks are not content with the no-plug-in rule that both Honda and Toyota endorse. By modifying a Prius so that it can be plugged in, Ron Gremban of CalCars states 'I've gotten anywhere from 65 to over 100 miles per gallon'. The article also reports that 'EnergyCS, a small company that has collaborated with CalCars, has modified another Prius with more sophisticated batteries; they claim their Prius gets up to 180 mpg, and can travel more than 30 miles on battery power.'"

13 of 907 comments (clear)

  1. The secret? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    They've secretly replaced the gas with Folgers crystals. Let's see if they notice.

  2. Must be an average... by PoprocksCk · · Score: 5, Funny

    "By modifying a Prius so that it can be plugged in...

    The 180 miles per gallon must be some extremely tough-to-calculate average since a car that's plugged in can only go as far as the power cord (unless they got a really , really, really long power cord ;-)

  3. Certainly by AtariAmarok · · Score: 3, Funny
    "anyone think that the oil companies might have something to do with this not being adopted on a larger scale?"

    Certainly. The same oil companies that tricked John DeLorean into buying cocaine, squashed the 500-mpg carburator, and killed the genius who invented the car that would run on snot.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  4. My car... by jdreed1024 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Obligatory Simpsons Quote: "My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it!"

    --
    There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
    1. Re:My car... by Manchot · · Score: 3, Funny

      40 rods/hogshead means that you're only getting 0.00231 mpg. That's not too good, IMO.

  5. I'll achieved this with my Hummer H2. No big deal. by AtariAmarok · · Score: 5, Funny

    The secret is to only drive downhill.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  6. Re:Words words words.. by TheBurrito · · Score: 5, Funny
    "The IQ of Slashdot users is as high as 300.
    Maybe if you add them all up.
  7. Re:Park and charge by AtariAmarok · · Score: 5, Funny
    "The driver does. But if electricity becomes cheaper than gasoline, and it looks like it's going to"

    How much is a gallon of electricity going for these days?

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  8. Re:Two beds by apa666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Excellent example because as everyone knows the bed-and-bucket method is actually how energy is produced.

  9. Re:Electric power != mpg by jon787 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Funny, my computer told me it was SIGFPE miles per gallon.

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    X(7): A program for managing terminal windows. See also screen(1).
  10. Extra Perky! by Dhrakar · · Score: 3, Funny

    Aha! So that explains why my Prius seems so perky today :-)

  11. Re:Mislead Environmentalism by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ok, so, it works something like this.
    1) You plug your car into the house.
    2) Your house gets electricty from "somewhere."
    3) That somewhere is a diesel fired power plant.

    4) The electric company notifies the cops of your excessive electricity usage.
    5) Armed narcotics agents arrive with a search warrant and ransack your house looking for a grow operation.

    You'd have to be nuts to plug a car into the wall if you live in the United States.

  12. Re:this is stupid by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's idiotic to give a "miles per gallon" figure when you don't include the cost of producing the electricity you use to recharge the battery.

    Nah, its perfectly acceptable, as long as you plug your car into someone else's power outlet.

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.