It may be a few years before you'll see many plug-in hybrids on the lots of "dealer row," but smaller vehicle makers are close to making them a reality. The first plug-in hybrids on the roads are likely to be buses, trucks, and transit vehicles that have regularly scheduled downtime to recharge.
If you can believe the flurry of investment in this space, plug-in hybrids are likely just around the corner. Electric vehicle manufacturer Phoenix Motorcars and electric motor company UQM Technologies are building a plug-in version of Phoenix' electric pickup truck. Wise men looking for a plug-in hybrid school bus can go to Nazareth (Pennsylvania) to see one of the first vehiclesof its kind in operation. Bus manufacturer IC Corporation has teamed with Enova Systems to build plug-in hybrid buses, including the first two which hit the road in Florida.
Odyne Corporation and battery maker Enersys arebuilding plug-in shuttle buses and transit vehicles that are being tested in New York.
Finally, battery maker A123 Systems is rumored to have acquired plug-in hybrid partner Hymotion , according to Tyler Hamilton.
It's looking like 2008 will be the year that we'll see hundreds or thousands of plug-in fleet
vehicles. Can the big auto makers be far behind?
