How would plug-in hybrid electric vehicles cope with a typical route for a delivery truck? That was the question that Green Star Products attempted to address with its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) testing protocols, which it has now completed.
Global Green Cars, a strategic alliance partner with Green Star Products, completed its full testing sequence over the last month. The first series of tests were meant to identify the vehicle’s efficiency, range capabilities and performance standards with a second set of tests meant to test a variety of different components which will be available as options such as on-board IC engines and different combinations of hardware and software.
The results were impressive:
- - The PHEV easily completed the 100mile range test.
- - The vehicle consumed just 0.70 gallons of petrol during the test – the equivalent of 143mpg.
- - It consumed just 75 cents worth of electricity.
- - At the end of the run the battery pack still contained approximately 35 per cent of its original charge.
- - The back-up engine and generator was only a 1.6kW unit – this energy equates to the consumption of the average handheld bathroom hairdryer.
The resounding success of the testing could be highly significant as currently, intra-city driving delivery vehicles are the highest polluters and least energy efficient vehicles in use on a per mile basis.
