(Photo by Curtis Perry on Flickr)
Raser Technologies came out in August 2008 with a plan to create a plug-in electric drive system capable of reaching 100 MPG when installed in a light-duty truck. The company’s designers determined that a 200 kW electric motor, a 100kW generator and lithium ion batteries could be used to turn a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado into a green machine. If you cannot wait for Raser Technologies to come out with its conversion kit, you can look at the following companies who have already developed hybrid kits for light-duty trucks.
NetGain Motors Inc. based in Lockport, Illinois has an Engine Motor Interface System (EMIS) that can turn a gas-guzzling truck into an efficient hybrid. NetGain’s EMIS technology can be attached to trucks going back to the 1996 model year with rear-wheel and all-wheel drives. When the EMIS motor is attached to a light-duty truck, a driver can cut down on gas consumption when accelerating or going up hills. NetGain’s technology is still patent pending but has been successfully used in several prototypes.
Truck drivers should look deeper into hybrid conversion kits using vegetable oil and other waste products before making purchases. Golden Fuel Systems offers hybrid conversion kits for light-duty trucks that run on Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO), which is vegetable oil that has not been filtered and treated. Golden Fuel hits a wide audience with kits for Chevy, GMC, Ford and Dodge trucks along with buses and commercial vehicles. The company’s kits can be installed without the help of a mechanic and base prices start at $1,200 with optional items like 60-gallon tanks available at premium prices.
GreaseCar Vegetable Fuel Systems in Holyoke, Massachusetts also offers truck conversion kits using vegetable oil. GreaseCar sells kits for light-duty trucks as well as heavy-duty diesel trucks that start at $3,000. The company has tested GreaseCar kits against regular diesels and found that trucks running on GreaseCar systems produce 26% less carbon monoxide than traditional diesel engines. Instead of using a single fuel tank, GreaseCar breaks up its 15 and 40-gallon tanks into two units to create greater efficiency by keeping fuel in place. GreaseCar Vegetable Fuel Systems has a list of authorized installers on its website along with instructions for truckers who are interested in installing their own kits.
