Okay, so I like to dream a bit, which is a prerequisite for a hydrogen car guy like myself. Once I read this article about a plug-in Toyota Prius with a lithium ion phosphate battery, LiFePO4, that gets 125 mpg (by Lithium Technology Corporation of Pennsylvania) that got my mental gears a going.

For a while now I have advocated for combining technologies especially the development of plug-in electric hybrid hydrogen vehicles. In fact, six months after I first blogged about this wish, Ford and then GM rolled out prototypes of such vehicles.

Now, switching gears, several companies, including Quantum Technologies of Irvine, California will retrofit cars and trucks such as the Toyota Prius to run on hydrogen. In fact, Quantum is the biggest supplier of hydrogen Prius vehicles with over 50 shipments to date.

So, here is my wish. With the present technology, it is already possible to use LiFePO4 batteries to achieve 125 mpg in a gasoline-powered Prius. The technology also exists to retrofit a Prius to run on hydrogen. Why not combine technologies and do both conversions at the same time?

A plug-in hydrogen Prius that gets 125 mpg would be zero emissions and use barely any hydrogen, which would mean that the hydrogen storage tanks could be much smaller, the range of the vehicle much greater and fewer hydrogen refueling stations would need to be built for cars with these capabilities.

Yes, the 125 mpg plug-in hydrogen Prius is only a matter of time. Let’s see which manufacturer is bold enough to jump aboard this idea first.

Filed under: Hydrogen Cars