FISKER/QUATUM:
This $100,000 high-performance PHEV-50 will be shown at Detroit. Autoblog Green reports that the vehicle's name is Karma; the report showed up briefly online and is still found at
http://209.85.173.104/­search?q=cache:-kaLwJU5q1wJ:www.autoblog.com/­2008/
­01/­11/­detroit-2008-fisker-karma-premium-hybrid-unveiled-early/­+fisker
+detroit&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

BYD
As we posted on Friday, China's BYD will show its PHEV. http://www.calcars.org/­calcars-news/­900.html (By
the way, a correspondent tells us that BYD manufactures 25% of the worlds li-ion batteries.)

AUTOMOTIVE XPRIZE
The XPrize's press release lists vehicles that will be in its Innovation Showcase Booth at Detroit, including Visionary Vehicles: http://jalopnik.com/­342178/­automotive-x-prize-showcase-coming-to-detroit-auto-show

AFS TRINITY
Lots of news about AFS Trinity's new "Extreme Hybrid" PHEV: a Saturn Vue converted with partner Ricardo into a PHEV with a 40-mile EV range at speeds up to 90 MPH. The front wheels are driven by the original hybrid system, and the rear wheels with a 200 hp motor powered by a combination of a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery and a superconductor. Despite adding 1,400 pounds in the prototype, it can go 0-60 MPH in 6.9 seconds. The company says the cost of the vehicle will be $8,500 greater than an internal combustion engine car, and it hopes to license its technology to automakers.

Since this car's PHEV system operates independently of the original drivetrain, this conversion may also point the way to future retrofits of existing non-hybrid cars. Here are some links:

AFS TRINITY WEBSITE
http://www.afstrinity.com mentions a 14-page report we haven't seen. http://www.afstrinity.com/­press-release-1-13-08.html or http://www.afstrinity.net/­afstrinity-xh150-pressrelease.pdf

GREEN CAR CONGRESS:
"AFS Trinity Unveils Plug-in Extreme Hybrid at Detroit Show; Ultracap/Battery Combination Delivers 40-Mile All Electric Range" http://www.greencarcongress.com/­2008/­01/­afs-trinity-unv.html includes comments

NEW YORK TIMES:
"Closing the Power Gap Between a Hybrid’s Supply and Demand" by Matthew Wald (online only) contains some technical details http://www.nytimes.com/­2008/­01/­13/­automobiles/­13ULTRA.html

EVWORLD:
"AFS Trinity Perfects Plug-in Hybrid Saturn Vue" by Editor Bill Moore http://www.evworld.com/­article.cfm?storyid=1386

JOSEPH ROMM'S CLIMATE PROGRESS BLOG:
"The Extreme (plug in) Hybrid — no breakthrough needed!" Romm drove the car several weeks ago; promises a long article on PHEVs and climate change Weds. http://climateprogress.org/­2008/­01/­13/­the-extreme-plug-in-hybrid-no-breakthrough-needed/­

EAA-PHEV:
at the Open Source Wiki in which PHEV converters participate, description and analysis initiated by Davide Dandrea of Hybrids-Plus http://www.eaa-phev.org/­wiki/­AFS_Trinity