By Khalida Sarwari
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District Tuesday announced the launch of a program to test plug-in hybrid vehicles prior to their coming to market next year.
The air district is collaborating with Toyota, the University of California at Berkeley and the cities of San Jose and Berkeley to launch a Bay Area-wide Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid demonstration and research program.
During the next year, the air district will provide up to 10 households with a gas-electric Prius as well as a plug-in hybrid for a two-month period. Participants will drive each car for one month to compare.
The purpose is to collect driving data in real-world conditions to determine user preferences prior to the vehicle’s launch on the market next year.
UC Berkeley researchers are also hoping to use the information to help inform technical, environmental and economic assessments of plug-in hybrids.
Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district, said plug-in technology is part of the solution to reducing air pollution.
“If we don’t do something about this pollution, we’re all going to be really pushing a rock uphill,” Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said at a news conference in San Jose Tuesday afternoon.
When fully charged, a Prius plug-in hybrid can run on electricity for about 13 miles at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour before reverting to conventional hybrid mode for longer distances.
It takes about three hours to fully charge the vehicle from a standard 110-volt electrical outlet or 90 minutes with a 220-volt connection.
This month, the air district awarded $3.9 million to four companies to install electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Bay Area. Some of the money will also be distributed in the form of a rebate to up to 3,000 residents who install the stations at home.
Bates, who serves as chairman of the air district board of directors, spoke along with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed about the demonstration and research program at a news conference Tuesday afternoon in San Jose.