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Hybrid Vehicle

The state's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is part of Basin Electric's fleet.

Technicians from A123Systems and Hymotion performed the conversion.

In May 2007, Basin Electric added two new 2008 Ford Escape Hybrids to its vehicle fleet. The cooperative partnered with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Cooperative Research Network (CRN) and the state of North Dakota to convert one of the Ford Escapes into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) - to use electricity as fuel.

Basin Electric's Ford Escape is the first PHEV in the state of North Dakota. PHEVs extend the usability of standard hybrids because of their two fuel systems - one gas, one electric - which make refueling these vehicles anywhere possible as long as an electric outlet is available.

The conversion took place in October 2007 at the first annual Great Plains Energy Exposition at the Bismarck Civic Center. With some creative work and a lot of technical expertise, the hybrid was converted to a plug-in during the conference by technicians from A123Systems of Massachusetts and Hymotion of Ontario, Canada.

The event, held Oct. 29-30, was hosted by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND). Basin Electric was a major sponsor.

A123Systems and Hymotion's technology added an eight kilowatt-hour battery to the Escape, supplementing the vehicle's standard 330-volt battery and powering its 96 horsepower motor farther and longer. With the conversion, Basin Electric's Ford Escape Hybrid is able to be driven on predominantly electric power for up to 30 miles using a fraction of the amount of gasoline an unmodified Ford Escape Hybrid consumes. And, unlike a conventional hybrid that gets it propulsion energy from gasoline, the PHEV will get much of its energy from the electric power grid.

Chris VandeVenter, Basin Electric legislative representative, says there are more than a dozen co-ops participating in the project. The co-ops will operate and maintain their PHEVs, keeping detailed records of the use and energy requirements of the vehicles. The co-ops and CRN will use the collected data to analyze the reliability, economy and performance of the "plug-in" vehicles. Basin Electric's PHEV is the first sport utility vehicle (SUV) plug-in sponsored by the program. VandeVenter says there are fewer than 100 PHEVs in operation in the country, and only a handful of those are SUVs like the Ford Escape.

"My goal in putting together this Energy Expo is to foster a discussion about how we in North Dakota can make use of our energy resources to move our country away from its dependence on foreign sources of energy. Basin Electric's display will add a lot of value to that discussion," Sen. Dorgan says.