you're wondering "hey idiot, is it worth spending that much?" well, perhaps not at first. gotta analyze current fuel consumption and driving habits to find out how long it would take for the conversion to pay for itself, but a) it's certainly possible and b) there are other obvious advantages
first, some background. my hybrid doesn't work the way my sister's works (or i think most hybrids, for that matter). hers uses a constant push and pull between gas and electric at all speeds, but mine (being a smallish SUV rather than a compact) only really gets to use electric power under about 30mph. this is great for in-town driving, because while other chumps sit at stoplights idling away dollar signs and spitting exhaust, my gas engine switches off and waits patiently for me to need it again. it also runs smooth and whisper-quiet on residential streets, and as long as i don't have to go up any hills i can nurse it up to about 35 before the gas motor kicks on and takes over. low-speed electric driving doesn't last forever either, because the limited battery capacity eventually peters out, at which point the gas motor kicks on to drive the wheels AND recharge the battery. that means even if i'm driving like a grandma, i still have to use gas intermittently to keep the small battery juiced up.
now, near as i can understand it, the conversion pretty much just 1) plops a big huge battery array (like 5kWh) in your trunk, 2) hooks it in to the system so the computer recognizes the increased capacity, and 3) removes the speed cap where the gas motor kicks on. a 6-8 hour overnight charge will put enough juice in the battery reserves to go somewhere between 25-35 miles before depletion, at which time the car reverts back to its original hybrid behaviour.
as for the cost, part of the justification requires an analysis of my current fuel expenditures and driving habits. according to the friend who told me about all this stuff, the average american spends about $3000 per year on fuel. given that a) i don't have kids to haul around, b) i live <5 miles from work, and c) i don't travel a lot, my consumption is a lot lower than that. my mileage app says that between dec 2012 and now, i'm spending an average of $110/mo, or roughly $1330/yr. however, based on my driving habits, ~30 free miles per day is completely bonkers. aside from a trip to omaha and back every ~6 weeks or so, i can't remember the last time i drove more than 30 miles in one day. it would be well within the realm of possibility to stretch a single tank of gas for several months, and extremely rough estimates suggest it wouldn't be outlandish to see an 80% reduction in consumption/cost. finally, to bring it back to the beginning, an 80% reduction from my current rate of $1330/yr is just over $1000 saved, which would pay for the conversion in 3-6 years, depending on initial cost and assuming my already-stellar driving habits do not change.
PLUS like i said there are other obvious benefits. i'd be extremely well-insulated from fluctuations in fuel prices, i'd keep even more money out of the greedy clutches of bloodthirsty oil barons, i'd all but erase my car's (future) carbon footprint, i'd significantly reduce wear and tear on my gas motor (though obviously electric motor use would increase, so maybe that's a wash), and thanks to nebraska's PUBLICLY-OWNED ELECTRIC UTILITY (hooray socialism!) electricity here is extremely cheap. AND, tee hee, the power outlet in my garage is connected to the main building grid and won't register on my apt's meter
kind of expensive, but hitting 50mpg (maybe even higher) in a four-door SUV big enough to carry me and my drumkit as well as my bassist and his gear? definitely worth it. that shit is fuckin bonkers. i gotta start saving dough! wonder if there are tax breaks for people who get these conversions done...
