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Hybrid Vehicle Conversion Services? 151

Posted by Cliff from the another-way-to-beat-high-gas-prices dept.
OverkillTASF asks: "My '94 I6 Jeep Grand Cherokee has once again eaten through a transmission... at 105k miles. For one reason or another, this has led me to the following question: Are there any companies/individuals out there who do hybrid vehicle conversions? I'd like to retrofit my Barbie Jeep with the necessary equipment to eek out 5 more MPG, be a little more environmentally friendly, but still allow me to get where I need to go out here in the sticks? Do such after-market conversion services exist?"
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Hybrid Vehicle Conversion Services? More

Hybrid Vehicle Conversion Services?

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  • in short... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    no.

  • No problemo (Score:3, Funny)

    by Henry V .009 ( 518000 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @02:11PM (#13526838) Journal
    Make it lighter. There is all sorts of stuff built into the frame for "safety" and "roll-over protection" that you'll probably never need. Remove a few hundred pounds of this dead-weight (also go on a diet yourself), and watch your gas mileage go up, up, up.
    • And those airbag assemblies are just chock full of heavy cases and those dense airgs themselves. Get rid of these cumbersome, life-saving material and you should be good to go.

      • Re:No problemo (Score:3, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        In the words of Al Bundy, "I got him to cut another $100 off the price of the car. Why pay for seatbelts when you don't have brakes?"
      • Also, the Air Conditioning unit not only adds weight, but when it's running it saps power from your engine, lowering your efficiency. But don't roll down your windows--that reduces airodynamics!
      • Actually, if you fasten your seat belt, it is my understanding that airbags offer only marginal extra protection.

        It's probably not legal, though, and compared to the massive weight of the SUV mentioned I doubt that the airbag mechanism makes much difference.

        Vehicles are designed with specific weight distributions in mind and so I would think removing things from it willy nilly is likely to create a safety hazard, including an increased likelihood of tipping in SUVs. So watch out.

        D
    • I hope no-one thinks you're serious! :-) Yeah, most of the time it's not needed - but if you do need it and it ain't there then you're a thin smear of raspberry jam...

      Grab.

  • Nice thought (Score:2, Informative)

    by kingkade ( 584184 )
    It's noble to want to do something for the environment, but I have to mention (and you probably already have realized this) such a conversion would cost more than you'd be able to make up for with the slightly better mileage in less than (at least) a few years. Look at Civic hybrids: they cost about $4k more than their gasoline counterparts.

    IMO, I think your money would be *much* better spent on a healthy down payment on one of those more economic, eco-friendly vehicles thna retro-fitting an older, gas-guz
    • Be sure to research some of these hybrid SUVs http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200404/hybrid _suvs.html>. They should be robust enough (unless you're looking for a nice long range) than a paved-road wanderer like a Civic.

    • Re:Nice thought (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Halfbaked Plan ( 769830 )
      If the vehicle is already paid for, it only costs him $4000 (your figure) to do the conversion. That's the only cost and he presumably gets a new engine and drive train for that money. Which would be a good deal.
      • Why would it cost $4k to _convert_ a car? I'm betting it would cost 3 times that. A TV might only cost twice as much as a microwave but you couldn't convert one for the same money.

        You are discounting labor, which would be huge, and the difficulties of dealing with a car not designed to be a hybrid being altered to work as a hybrid. I would imagine just fitting the new equipment could be a real problem. For instance, where do you stick the batteries?

        So how is the original poster's $4K figure relevant?
    • It's still not available to the public, but it's a step in the right direction. I think it's cool that it is being sold as a competitor to superchargers.
      • I could easily see designing and building your own system based on this concept, though.

        For a proper hybrid design, you would need a way to disconnect either the engine or the electric motor. Extra clutches...

        I would consider getting a motor from an electric golf cart, which are pretty damn strong. The electric golf carts I'm familiar with use 6 rather large lead-acid batteries and have up to 10HP motors in them.

        I tend to cruise at about 60mph with my car, so I would have to work out some means to connect t
    • That thing will be good for extra torque, but I doubt it would effect most people's gas milage. basic physics in play, you can't use more energy then you create. The place where it would be most advantagous is charging while the car is idleing at a stop, the energy the engine generates at that point is just wasted. But when cruising at speed, any power it takes from the drive train to charge it's battery pack can not be converted perfectly back to drive train power, so you will actually lose gas mileage. So
      • But when cruising at speed, any power it takes from the drive train to charge (it is) battery pack can not be converted perfectly back to drive train power, so you will actually lose gas mileage.

        The idea being that you use the stored energy while stopped/idling to power the car while cruising and to assist the car while accelerating. So even though there is loss, it's not 100% waste like it would be without the hybrid system.

        You need a rediculously small amount of power to keep your car going once it's up t

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @02:35PM (#13526998)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:Hydrogen? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by spectral ( 158121 )
      I saw this before, I read the comments before suggesting it. I don't know if this company is legit or not, but the idea seems interesting.

      I think this is the closest you'll get to a conversion kit. Hybrid gas-electric vehicles require a vastly different transmission, onboard computer, massive batteries, and likely a lot of engine work to make it stop and start when the vehicle is not in motion. In short, look at around 12k+ if it's even possible and the parts are widely available.. which they aren't.
    • Somehow, I've got a good feeling that you're gonna end up on a LOT of government watch lists if you start dealing with a company named 'United Nuclear'
    • Even if you were to cover your entire car roof in solar cells, it would still not be an efficient way to generate hydrogen. Even if it is meant to stay in your garage and generate hydrogen, it still would not be ideal.

      The real breakthrough will come from companies that are doing innovation, not applying inefficient techniques to prevailing problems. The said company has developed safe hydrogen storage pellets, which is just the kind of thing that is needed to solve the hydrogen density probem without resor
  • For a one-off conversion to a decade-old Jeep Cherokee, it would take lots of unique parts and experienced labor. You are probably looking at tens of thousands of dollars and when you are done it will still look like an old Jeep.

    If you are fixated on going hybrid with an SUV, why not buy a brand new hybrid Highlander [toyota.com] or Lexus [lexus.com]? You'll spend as much and get the same marginal gas mileage increase, but you'll also get that new-car smell.

    • Re:Are you serious? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Blkdeath ( 530393 )

      If you are fixated on going hybrid with an SUV, why not buy a brand new hybrid Highlander or Lexus? You'll spend as much and get the same marginal gas mileage increase, but you'll also get that new-car smell.

      Or you could look at the Ford Escape Hybrid [www.ford.ca] and enjoy upwards of 50% fuel savings in a brand-new 4x2 or 4x4 small SUV.

      To put things into perspective; the Escape Hybrid has $0 fuel tax, whereas the Highlander carries a $75 tax. Why? The Highlander uses a large 6 cylinder engine and, as you said, on

      • The One Tank Challenge demonstrated that on a 62L gas tank it's possible to drive Toronto city traffic for 972 KMs getting better than 5.9L/100KM (or roughly 50MPG).

        While that's interesting, it doesn't quite match up with what others [edmunds.com] have [canadiandriver.com] reported. [evworld.com] Seeing as the people touting the 50MPG are Ford themselves, I'd have to take their numbers with a grain of salt.
    • You made half the point I was going to make. The other half is that a a Jeep Cherokee is a good candidate for an all-electric conversion. And there are plenty of people who do that.
    • If you are fixated on going hybrid with an SUV, why not buy a brand new hybrid Highlander or Lexus?

      The early 90s Jeep Cherokees were off-road vehicles, not like the toys you named, or the toys that replaced it with the same name. They won't go into the sticks, they'll tip over or high-center on something the first time they see dirt, ugly as sin, and won't readily fit in a standard sized (for Oregon anyway) parking space.

      I would have suggested a Kia Sportage if you were going for something newer, but H

    • I don't suppose there are any rumours about a Toyota Hiace-based campervan hybrid with a solar panel on an angled pop-top roof? (Just searching their site, do they even make campervans anymore?)
    • If you are fixated on going hybrid with an SUV

      ...Then you deserve your pitiful 9mpg!

      C'mon, people, you DO NOT NEED an SUV. You need a 4-door sedan or, if you have trouble with the basic idea of "don't breed until you run out of room", a forced tubal ligation.

      99% of the time, who do you see in an SUV? One person. On a cell phone. Usually dressed too nicely to have any sort of construction projects planned for the near future. And how do these fine upstanding safety-conscious folks drive? Cautiously a

  • it's possible, but... (Score:4, Informative)

    by zogger ( 617870 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @02:43PM (#13527041) Homepage Journal
    ...you'll need to do a lot of the DIY, perhaps just in the configuring. You can always sub out the actual work. You'll be retrofitting the entire drive train, plus adding space for batteries as well if you want any sort of at least minimum range before you are forced to use the fueled engine. What you are contemplating is a self propelled generator basically, with you along for the ride. That is in essence what a hybrid is.

    Here is a generic link to get you going

    http://www.evworld.com/ [evworld.com]

    As another poster pointed out, this is a fabulous new industry idea, some places are doing it, but it's still in the mom and pop shop stage most places, sort of like the original mom and pop whitebox shops back in the haydays of making decent money at it.

    pure electric conversion kits and links

    http://www.electroauto.com/ [electroauto.com]

    Now what I think might be a useful idea, one already built at ACPropulsion, is to make the vehicle pure electric, and have the generator part that makes it a hybrid be in a tow behind trailer. Short range, run pure electric, extended range, tow the trailer.

    read about that and more info here, these guys know their stuff

    http://www.acpropulsion.com/ACP_FAQs/FAQ_products [acpropulsion.com].

    good luck and do a blog on it, would like to see the project as it unfolds
  • A whole 5MPG. What will you spend that money on?
    • A whole 5MPG. What will you spend that money on?

      At current gas prices? Probably a private island.
    • 5MPG for me would be the same difference as adding another 1.5 gallons to my gas tank, but without having to pay to fill that 1.5 gallons every time. That's a savings of upwards of $4.50 with current gas prices per tank, or $234/year.

      To me, 5MPG could mean the difference between using my vacation days for more than one or two vacations a year instead of just spreading out what I can't otherwise use for fun out for when I just don't feel like going to work. And I already get 4-15MPG in 4WD, 30 city/35 hi

  • 40 mile commute? Go Electric! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by RingDev ( 879105 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @03:03PM (#13527138) Homepage Journal
    Let's say you work over your truck to get 28mpg. You drive 40miles round trip every day to work. You driver to work 250 times a year. And for the moment, we'll put gas at $3.00.

    That means every year you spend $1072 on gas. $1429 per year when gas hit's $4

    Compared to a full electric. A (relatively) cheap conversion to a 9" DC motor and lead acid battery pack can easily pull a 40 mile range. And at about $8-12k it's about the same cost as a few year old decent used car. A DC system like this should run at about .4kWh per mile (AC can get as low as .18kWh)

    If we use the same standards (250 40mile round trips @ .4kWh/mile) and put electric at $0.10 (my last bill was $0.85/kWh). That means you're spending $400 a year on fuel. Now, with the 'el-cheapo' 6c deep cycle lead acid battery packs, you're only going to get 3-5 years out of them. So if we figure in blowing $1200 every 3 years, you're looking at $800/year in fuel. Even if electric jumps to $0.13 (a 33% jump like the gas jump $3 to $4) You're still only looking at $920/year

    28mpg Gas @ $3/gal = $1072
    .4kWh Electric @ $0.10/kWh = $800
    28mpg Gas @ $4/gal = $1429
    .4kWh Electric @ $0.13/kWh = $920


    -Rick

    • Re:40 mile commute? Go Electric! (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Yeah, investing $12k and loosing the ability to take longer trips for $272 in yearly savings isn't worth it. Put your money in an ordinary interest bearing savings account, use that interest to pay for gas, and you come out ahead.
      • 12k @ 3% is only $360/year. and that's not likely to grow.

        Gas is going to hit 4 dollars, and at that rate you will be saving over $500 a year.

        My situation is slightly different though. I drive a 2 seat compact sports car for my commute (20mpg). My wife is looking to swap out her aging compact suv with a Golf TDI (45mpg Diesel). I'm looking to convert my 2 seater to electric. Drops my yearly fuel cost from $1700+ to $800. And we would still have a high efficiency vehicle that doesn't depend on crude oi
        • Unfortunately much of our electricity comes from natural gas which is likely to become more expensive for basically the same reasons as gasoline so expect electricity prices to go up as well.
          • Actually most of the electricity in the US comes from Coal. North America also has the worlds larges coal deposites in the world. So while my heating bill is likely going to be over $300/month this winter, I don't expect my electricity to raise more then a peny or so per kWh.

            -Rick
            • " Actually most of the electricity in the US comes from Coal."

              True but over the last few years almost noone has been building new coal powered generating stations due to the perceived polution issues.
              • The Milwuakee, WI plant will be the decision maker. WI okayed the replacement of 2 40 year old boilers with 2 newer pulverized coal buring units. Illinois sued because building pulverized coal plants is illegal there, and they are only 80 miles down wind. Michigan also sued over the mercury emissions into the lake. Switching to the more expencive process of Gasification would greatly reduce polution, mercury emissions, and water consumption, but it's expencive. If WI wins there are 120 coal plants nation wi

              • My local co-op is planning a coal plant right now, to be built in about 8 years.

                I'd rather they use nuclear, but in this day of Luddites scared of that word, it just isn't worth trying.

          • The natural gas turbines are used to peak the coal powered generators when peak demand quickly accelerates. Much of the natural gas is tapped from fields here in Kansas. Coal is cheap, natural gas is just a backup.
    • $300 to $500 a year in savings to take all the utility out of my vehicle? Sign me up! Really, what is the maximum range going to be on such a configuration? If it's only 100 miles or whatever, what are you supposed to do when you want to go further than 40 miles from home? Also, how does that 9" DC compare to an ICE for performance? 30-60 mph is important to me...

      max
      • Electric motors theoretically have infinate torque. If you have the money, you can out perform super cars. Look up the AC Propultion T-Zero. The latest Lith ion prototype does 0-60 in 3.68 seconds and a range of 300+ miles. Most DC system do not perform that well however.

        But cheap technology doesn't perform as well. Most electrics don't perform as well in the 1/4 mile because they have lower top speeds (That T-Zero tops out at 90mph). Most cheap technology doesn't perform that well, but if the vehicle is

    • Re:40 mile commute? Go Electric! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by arminw ( 717974 ) on Sunday September 11, 2005 @12:00AM (#13529637)
      ....You're still only looking at $920/year ....

      I just got a Toyota Prius hybrid which gets consistently at least 50mpg. For 10K miles and $3 gas that comes to $600. For $4 gas it would be $800 and the nice thing is that it'll go over 500 miles on a full tank. It is a really nice car for general running around in, but I'll still keep our old Ford diesel pickup for hauling things.
      • Interesting, I had heard that their 45mpg sticker rating was "generous". You are the first person I've seen claim over 45mpg though. But for a trade off, you'll still have to replace your battery pack, and if it goes out at 3 years, just after the warenty, you're still looking at a $1200 bill, which up's your yearly fuel costs to $1000. Which at $3/gal is only a hair under a 30mpg car. Also, a new Prius cost what, $22k+ msrp? VS a $10k conversion kit. And that electric will be cheaper from the start in fuel
        • whoops, I was thinking the Honda Civic Hybrid. It's gas milage is lower then advertised, not the prius. Sorry bout that.

          -Rick
          • That guy has a lead foot to get 50mpg out of a Prius. I average 62mpg to work and back. The best mileage is in the city, where I attempt to run on batteries most of the time. The killer is the highway speeds where it takes over 10 horsepower to overcome wind friction. The electric can get the car to cruise around 35-40mph until the battery gets hot and tired and the engine kicks on (to heat it some more!)
          • My Civic only gets below sticker price when I run the AC and or drive with 3 passangers. Driving through the mountains I have gotten as low as 36MPG. but that is the worst I've ever got. Typically running ac back and forth to work I get 42MPG. In the winter when I don't have to run AC I get from 47 (sticker) to 50.

            And my batterys have a 7 year factory warrantee and a 10 year extended warrantee.
        • ...but you and I will see the end of cheap oil in our life times...

          That mantra has been chanted for over 40 years now. Oil can also be made from coal and we have enough coal to last for centuries. Here is an intersting article:

          http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv27n1/v27n1 -1.pdf [cato.org]

          Electricity for making hydrogen and running electrics comes mostly from fossil fuel, mostly coal.
          • That article proves two things. 1) Not all MIT students are smart. and 2) Engineers make poor market analysts.

            The oil made from coal (gasification) is good power power production, not so useful for transportation however.

            -Rick
          • oh, and many people would consider $70/barrel no longer cheep. I consider it cheap enough for our economy to continue depending on, but this holiday buying season will show us for sure.

            -Rick
        • The batteries are included in the 8 year/100,000 mile warranty (Unless you are in a state that uses California's stricter emission laws, then it is 10 year/150,000 miles)

          The batteries are also made of individual replaceable cells, so in theory if a cell goes bad they can replace only that cell.
  • I'm waiting for a hover conversion.
  • I'd bet you could get that just with conventional mods - tuning, air filters, bigger exhaust, special camshaft new ingintion computer chips etc.

    • More realistically, he could get it by not driving a big fuck-off tank with a big fuck-off engine. But that would be un-American... :-/ Sigh.

      Grab.

      PS. Yes, I know most SUV owners say "oh, but I need them to get up gravel tracks, in snow, carry stuff, etc". Similarly, most obese people say "I have problems with my glands". Both are self-deluded.
      • Yes, I know most SUV owners say "oh, but I need them to get up gravel tracks, in snow, carry stuff, etc.

        You really didn't read the question, did you?

        In this case it actually seems to be true that the owner needs his vehicle to be able to do these sorts of things since the author, at least acccording to his question lives in a remote undeveloped area.

        Here is a hint for you - rather than jumping to conclusions and stereotyping people you really should pay attention to what they are saying if you don't want to
        • "The sticks" to me doesn't necessarily mean that they're 100% offroad. Nor does it mean that their roads are untouched by snowplough. And here's some news - most SUVs are not significantly better than a regular car on tackling the rough stuff, simply because most are designed for looks and not performance. To the original poster's credit, Jeeps are one of the real performers, but anyone with a Lexus, BMW, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4 or any similar Barbie crap can forget it. Especially if you've been sucked
  • I once saw a website selling these devices that fit on your engine that help take the strain off of it when starting off, supposedly saving on city miles. Anyone ever seen something like that? Any good? It cost about 1800, so I would hope so.

    • Who knows. Might be, might not. I've seen other such things (not that one though), that looked good until I found the following phase in the how it works section: "ionizes the hydrogen in the fuel". Sent my BS alarm off the scale and I closed my browser. Too bad, I really would love some product that could do what that promissed.

      I've seen other devices that work. They don't promise everything, but when you read the how it works section you get something that a mechanical engineer would agree could

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @04:16PM (#13527522)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • some real MPG improvement tips (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The easy option - remove weight:

    * roofrack
    * rear + passenger seats - if you're always driving solo.
    * the spare tire - got a cell phone? got someone who can give you a ride to get your spare if you get a flat? then don't keep it on your vehicle.
    * carpeting - this can add up.
    * air conditioner - if summers aren't too hot where you live.
    * radio + speakers - again, the weight adds up.
    * trash that you've littered the interior of your car with, vacuum the dirt out while you're at it and wipe down the dashboard - r
    • * drive no faster than 55, try to use the brakes as little as possible by keeping an above-average distance from the vehicle in front and driving smoothly.
      * don't use cruise control if you can help it (it keeps constant speed not constant throttle and can't account for, say, wanting to keep excess momentum right before going up a hill).

      At least from my experiences with my '04 Sentra, I've got to disagree with that. If I go on a long highway trip at 70-75mph with the cruise control on most of the time, I'll

    • the spare tire Your rescurer will loose more gas than you save if you even get one flat over all the cars you own in your lifetime.

      drive no faster than 55. Try 65-70. Most cars (this depends greatly on design) get their best milage at speeds greater than 55. My truck gets better milage towing a boat at 65 than unloaded at 55!

      if you've got a manual transmission, make sure you drive in the highest gear suitable for the situation, with the lowest engine RPMs and lightest throttle touch possible. When

  • TDI! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by frn123 ( 242374 ) <spam@imelapCOFFEEs.ee minus caffeine> on Saturday September 10, 2005 @04:31PM (#13527598)
    Buy a used small turbodiesel engine for it.

    1.9L diesel will have more than enough oomph (unless you're suffering from penis envy) and will move you around with insane mpg.

    Cheaper than hybrid. Cleaner than hybrid.
    • Buy a used small turbodiesel engine for it.

      Cheaper than hybrid. Cleaner than hybrid.

      Cheaper, perhaps, but CLEANER?!?

      For the record, he's interested in an SUV because he's out in the country. A TDI isn't exactly SUV-esque.

      • Re:TDI! (Score:3, Funny)

        by thebigmacd ( 545973 )
        For the record, he's interested in an SUV because he's out in the country. A TDI isn't exactly SUV-esque.
        Neither is Barbie...
    • I've never understood why people like the diesel engines so much. Ok, let's compare a Prius to a Passat TDI (similar in size). According to the EPA [fueleconomy.gov]:

      Average MPG: Prius (47.9) Passat (35.5).
      Annual Fuel Cost: Prius ($838) Passat ($1405)
      Air Pollution Score: Prius (8-9) Passat (1) (from 0 to 10, where 10 is best)

      So, you said:

      Cheaper than hybrid. Cleaner than hybrid.

      Alright, if this guy buys a TDI engine for his Jeep, he'll spend more on fuel but the engine will probably cost less than a new Prius so I'll give

      • According to actual drivers (from the EPA website [fueleconomy.gov], the Prius gets about 40-48 MPG. A Diesel Golf gets 40-49 MPG, slightly better.

        The Diesel Golf is rated at 42 city/49 highway. The Prius is rated 52 city/45 highway.

        Also, Diesel fuel is quite a bit cleaner than most people would believe, especially when using low-sulfer fuels.
        • .... the Prius gets about 40-48 MPG....

          I have a Prius and get better than 50mpg very consistently. We also have a Honda Accord hybrid which gets 33-35mpg which is not bad for a roomy comfortable car with a 255hp drive system. We had a VW rabbit diesel which made 55mpg when it was new, but compared to the Prius it was a gutless snail that made it unsafe to pass anything on a two lane road. The Honda will really go when tromped, but I seldom do that.
        • Which version of the Prius are you looking at? According to the site you linked to [fueleconomy.gov], the '05 Prius gets 36 - 58 MPG or an average of 48.0.

          And, yes, the Diesel Golf does get good mileage but is smaller than the Prius which is why I used the Passat for comparison. The Golf is classified as a Compact car at 88 ft3 whereas the Prius is a Midsize at 96 ft3.

      • Re:TDI! (Score:4, Informative)

        by nmos ( 25822 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @06:40PM (#13528285)
        First, many diesel cars get considerably better than 35mpg. If most of your driving is on the highway you'll get similar milage out of a hybrid as a diesel but in stop & go traffic the hybrid will win.

        Second, diesels tend to be cleaner than gasoline engines in terms of greenhouse gasses but dirtier in terms of particulates.

      • Re:TDI! (Score:5, Informative)

        by Grab ( 126025 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @07:05PM (#13528408) Homepage
        Cheaper is *the* major factor. Hybrids are way expensive right now.

        Cleaner isn't really in there though. Diesels are bad for particulates, and currently there isn't anything forcing people to sort it (although future standards will do).

        The ultimate clean engine though would be a diesel-electric hybrid, because the diesel emissions happen at low-efficiency load sites. Run the engine at max efficiency, and you're sorted - this is why trains have been diesel-electric for years, because even with the conversion inefficiencies, the efficiency of diesel at its best point is mindblowing. But the American market won't buy diesel, sadly, due to the disastrous diesels rushed out in the 70s and 80s. Ho hum.

        Grab.

  • Consider PHEV conversion instead (Score:3, Informative)

    by Laven ( 102436 ) on Saturday September 10, 2005 @04:52PM (#13527696)
    http://calcars.org/ [calcars.org]

    Conversion to regular hybrid probably will not be worth it when you consider the cost/benefit ratio. However a conversion to PHEV (plugin hybrid electric vehicle) may be well worth the effort. The above site describes this new type of car that allows you to go 30-40 miles in your daily commute off of electricity charged batteries. If you drive longer than that commute, then it behaves like a regular hybrid burning gasoline.

    Their earlier conversions were modifying existing non-hybrid cars for PHEV capability, which would be similar to what you are looking for. Despite the benefit of PHEV, it may turn out to be too expensive to be worth it, but you should still look into it.

  • Austin EV (Score:2, Informative)

    by blindseer ( 891256 )
    When I lived in Texas I came across a group of electric vehicle enthusiasts. Check out the website for Austin Area Electric Auto Association [austinev.org]. They give some pointers on conversions, give some suppliers of parts, and show off what people in the area have done.
  • Offtopic, but if you find that you keep the Jeep and deal with the transmission (I'm assuming it's automatic), here's an item of interest: my father owned a '94 Chrysler Lebaron (Chrysler owns Jeep, as well), and went through three transmissions on the car before he realized that the way they designed things, the transmission fluid gets too hot and therefore destroys the transmission in just 50,000 miles or so. I'd look into that problem, seeing if your model shares the same problem. We fixed the problem wi

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