Are you a Floridian and have been looking at converting your Prius into a plug-in (PHEV)? Well, today may be your lucky day, especially if you live in South Florida. The Department of Energy has approved the state of Florida's plan to use $500,000 of federal stimulus funds to offer 100 people a $5,000 tax credit in exchange for converting their Prius. Florida is the first state to offer a tax credit toward a PHEV conversion using stimulus package funds. The main catch is that all conversions will have to be completed in West Palm Beach at Foreign Affairs Auto. Foreign Affairs Auto is the only dealer in the state of Florida installing the federally approved conversion kit. Converting a hybrid into an electric plug-in costs $10,395, said Jonathan Ortiz, business development director for Foreign Affairs Auto. The state's rebate, plus a $1,000 federal tax credit, will cut that price in half. "The people I anticipate taking advantage of this are the ones who have really been wanting to do this but didn't want to make the $10,000 investment," Ortiz said. "This will make them come off the fence." Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
and didn't I read somewhere that the only qualifying PHEV conversion kit to so far qualify for Florida's certification is A123? I hope plugin supply Inc can get in on the action. Less expensive, with a higher top EV speed ... 52mph instead of what, maybe 34mph? Oh well, it's a better offer than other states are doing. .
Indeed the HYMOTION conversion is the only that qualifies for the Florida State Rebate Program. They deserve it because they are the only ones who did it the Right way - crash-testing, certifications, warranty +++...etc.
Florida Plug-In Program Florida Subsidizes Plug-in Conversions — But Coverage Is Limited - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com Bob Wilson
Re: Florida Plug-In Program Thanks! I was going to post Florida offering $5,000 rebates for plug-in hybrid Prius conversions... for 90 people — Autoblog Green but ABG was days late. Maybe the original post should be retitled to add the "for 90 people" bit. I'd imagine that there are some FL Prius owners who'd like to take advantage.
Re: Florida Plug-In Program I signed up and sent my deposit this morning! They are still waiting on the final OK from FL state, to make sure the funds are definitely in place. They estimate 2-3 months until they get to me. I'm #67 I believe.
I can't believe I missed this last year! I just called Foreign Affairs Auto (http://www.foreignaffairsauto.com/) and they say they have only done 75 conversions! I'm talking to Jonathan (who handles the conversions) this afternoon about converting mine ASAP.
I had my installation done yesterday. Has anyone been able to keep the car in true EV mode (it seems like all of the EV Mode modifications and hacks still involve keeping the engine (and catalytic converter) hot. I want to commute all week using the Hymotion battery (leaving the engine cold), and then just heat the engine up once a week or once a month to keep the fluids moving.
I saw a 2009 with the conversion last month on Lake Carol Drive in West Palm Beach. Nice clean job, but not only do you loose the storage area, the spare area is gone also! The fellow that had the car carries the spare in the back, not much storage area left!
<Priced at $10,395, the Hymotion L5 kit uses 5-kilowatt-hour A123 lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs, which are installed under the rear cargo floor. A123 says the converted Prius is capable of 30 to 40 miles of “electrically assisted driving.â€> To get the $5000 you may need to be adopted by a Fl resident.
it wasnt worth it, even with the rebate, as it would take 10 years to make it pay off for savings vs saving on an ordinary prius. Ill wait it out.
Any updates with this PHEV kit? Plugin supply looks good and so does enginer. Anyone have experience with them?
welcome to priuschat! oh ya, lots! google around, enough fun for diy'ers of all calibre's. all the best!
Enginer is not actively producing kits at the moment. Went out of business. But site is still live. Plug In Supply is around. Also take a look at Boulder Hybrid Conversion. They have a great product. Boulder Hybrid Conversions Do not take shortcuts or try to skimp on paying for a good system. You will regret it later. Seriously.
