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1 PW
MARCH 7, 2013, 6:00 PM
Fire Destroys a Pioneering Plug-In Prius Conversion
By BRADLEY BERMAN
A 2004 Toyota Prius that had been converted to run on grid-supplied electricity caught fire at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night in Corte Madera, Calif., according to The Marin Independent Journal and other Bay Area news outlets. Nobody was hurt, but the fire killed a cat and caused about $250,000 worth of damage to the owner’s condominium.
The cause of the fire was unknown.
The vehicle, which had about 50,000 miles on the odometer and was owned by Ron Grembam, played a crucial part in the history of plug-in electric vehicles. In 2004, Mr. Grembam said, it was converted to use a plug – and an added battery pack larger than the one provided as standard by Toyota – so that it could run for a number of miles purely on electricity. At the time of the conversion, Toyota and other automakers were not making plug-in hybrid cars and expressed doubt about the technical and market viability of the technology.
“The message we had from the start was that if a group of amateurs and engineers could make the technology work in a garage, then the major automakers could make it much better and safer,” said Felix Kramer, the founder of CalCars, the plug-in car advocacy group that organized the conversion and a subsequent campaign to get car companies to produce electric cars and plug-in hybrids. In an interview Thursday, Mr. Kramer added, “This unfortunate fire unequivocally has nothing to do with today’s production plug-in hybrids.”
Nearly 40,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold in the United States in 2012. The market includes the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Ford C-Max Energi and Fisker Karma. Honda and Ford will introduce new plug-in hybrids this year.
Mr. Grembam, who is also associated with CalCars, could not explain the cause of the fire, which had occurred while the vehicle was being charged. “It’s not obvious,” he said. “The car exploded and apparently destroyed all the evidence.” The vehicle was using a $5,000 Brusa charger plugged into a 120-volt outlet and was able to pull only about eight amps, Mr. Grembam said. “That shouldn’t be enough to overheat the battery pack. That deepens the mystery.”
The fire was controlled in about 30 minutes. The exact cause is being investigated by the Corte Madera Fire Department, Mr. Grembam said.
The Prius was originally converted by CalCars to use grid-supplied electricity in 2004. In 2010, the vehicle’s plug-in system was replaced by equipment supplied by the Plug-In Conversions Corporation of Poway, Calif., near San Diego. In the conversion, the existing batteries were replaced with a 6.1-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal-hydride pack, as well as a charger, control electronics and a plug. The conversion was intended to increase fuel efficiency above 100 miles per gallon. Since 2008, Plug-in Conversions has performed about 70 without any problems, said Kim Adelman, the company’s chief executive.
Mr. Grembam said: “This incident very well might make a dent in aftermarket conversions. It would give anybody pause. But I’m hoping it doesn’t affect the market for O.E.M. plug-in vehicles.”
He said that major car manufacturers use large teams of engineers to make sure every safety factor is considered, but it’s more challenging with one person or a small team. “It’s possible for things to get missed,” he said.
Fire Destroys a Pioneering Plug-In Prius Conversion
By BRADLEY BERMAN
A 2004 Toyota Prius that had been converted to run on grid-supplied electricity caught fire at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night in Corte Madera, Calif., according to The Marin Independent Journal and other Bay Area news outlets. Nobody was hurt, but the fire killed a cat and caused about $250,000 worth of damage to the owner’s condominium.
The cause of the fire was unknown.
The vehicle, which had about 50,000 miles on the odometer and was owned by Ron Grembam, played a crucial part in the history of plug-in electric vehicles. In 2004, Mr. Grembam said, it was converted to use a plug – and an added battery pack larger than the one provided as standard by Toyota – so that it could run for a number of miles purely on electricity. At the time of the conversion, Toyota and other automakers were not making plug-in hybrid cars and expressed doubt about the technical and market viability of the technology.
“The message we had from the start was that if a group of amateurs and engineers could make the technology work in a garage, then the major automakers could make it much better and safer,” said Felix Kramer, the founder of CalCars, the plug-in car advocacy group that organized the conversion and a subsequent campaign to get car companies to produce electric cars and plug-in hybrids. In an interview Thursday, Mr. Kramer added, “This unfortunate fire unequivocally has nothing to do with today’s production plug-in hybrids.”
Nearly 40,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold in the United States in 2012. The market includes the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Ford C-Max Energi and Fisker Karma. Honda and Ford will introduce new plug-in hybrids this year.
Mr. Grembam, who is also associated with CalCars, could not explain the cause of the fire, which had occurred while the vehicle was being charged. “It’s not obvious,” he said. “The car exploded and apparently destroyed all the evidence.” The vehicle was using a $5,000 Brusa charger plugged into a 120-volt outlet and was able to pull only about eight amps, Mr. Grembam said. “That shouldn’t be enough to overheat the battery pack. That deepens the mystery.”
The fire was controlled in about 30 minutes. The exact cause is being investigated by the Corte Madera Fire Department, Mr. Grembam said.
The Prius was originally converted by CalCars to use grid-supplied electricity in 2004. In 2010, the vehicle’s plug-in system was replaced by equipment supplied by the Plug-In Conversions Corporation of Poway, Calif., near San Diego. In the conversion, the existing batteries were replaced with a 6.1-kilowatt-hour nickel-metal-hydride pack, as well as a charger, control electronics and a plug. The conversion was intended to increase fuel efficiency above 100 miles per gallon. Since 2008, Plug-in Conversions has performed about 70 without any problems, said Kim Adelman, the company’s chief executive.
Mr. Grembam said: “This incident very well might make a dent in aftermarket conversions. It would give anybody pause. But I’m hoping it doesn’t affect the market for O.E.M. plug-in vehicles.”
He said that major car manufacturers use large teams of engineers to make sure every safety factor is considered, but it’s more challenging with one person or a small team. “It’s possible for things to get missed,” he said.
