DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. and Japanese automakers are moving forward with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, a dual-power system that promises improved gas mileage.
Ford Motor Co. said it will have a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle -- known as a PHEV -- ready for sale in 2012.
Ford, set to announce a battery cell purchasing deal to outfit 5,000 cars a year with PHEV systems, said a fully charged car would run on electricity for 30 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in.
General Motors Corp. is working on a PHEV system for the Saturn Vue, which may be ready for sale in late 2010, USA Today reported Tuesday. Toyota Motor Co. is working with the same concept, but without yet promising a release date, the newspaper said.
Compared with all-electric cars, batteries for PHEV systems are lighter and cheaper, the newspaper said. Chrysler LLC, GM and Nissan are aiming to put totally electric cars on the road by 2010. Ford said it will have an all-electric vehicle ready in 2011, USA Today reported.
Seattle City Light spokesman Scott Thomsen told USA Today that tests conducted by the utility company show Toyota Prius hybrids converted PHEV systems averaged 51 mpg in all types of driving conditions.
