Hybrid Anything

A former IBM engineer says his latest invention can turn
regular cars into plug-in hybrids for between $3,000 and
$5,000. He could be on to something.

It fits into a wheel hub and can double a car's fuel economy.
That's the claim of Dr. Charles Perry, who says his plug-in
hybrid retrofit kit can save America 120 million gallons of
fuel per day. Big talk. But then, inventors betting on
revolutionary uphevals need to talk as big as they think.
The former IBM electrical engineer designed the kit to
transform existing automobiles into hybrids by placing
an electric motor inside each wheel. Perry recently took
first prize for his invention at a green energy competition
at the Tennessee Technology Development Corp. The plan is to
develop the kit into a product selling for between $3,000 and
$5,000.

As part of the prize, Perry received a $50,000 grant, which
will be matched by Palmer Labs LLC of Reston, Va., whose goal
is to commercialize the invention.

Perry reiterates a common statistic that 80 percent of US
drivers make daily trips of fewer than 30 miles at 40 miles
per hour or slower. Such performance, he says, can be achieved
by way of his 10-15 horsepower electric motors, which would
be powered by extra batteries installed in a car's trunk.

Perry will work with the Tennessee Technological University
on a prototype, then plans to fit 30 state-owned vehicles
with the kit for testing. The final stage would see the kits
manufactured by Palmer Labs within three years.