SwBratcher's Posts

I used to dream of a time when turning vehicles into plug-ins would be as easy as going to get a tuneup. While conversion companies and kits have existed for years, the risk and expense hindered large-scale operations. Now an ambitious new company is revved up to change that.

ALTe is a startup based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, that aims to convert old rides into plug-in hybrid electric vehicles en masse. These guys are for real, too. The cofounders' resumes include Tesla, Ford, and the auto supplier Magna International. Plus they got former Chrysler president Thomas LaSorda on their board of directors. ALTe's clever approach is to target aging commercial fleet vehicles no longer under warranty, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The company's name for plug-in hybrid electric is "range extended electric powertrain" or "REEP." That unfortunate acronym aside, each conversion (animation) removes the standard exhaust system, fuel tank, filler tubes, and engine. Then ALTe installs its own electric drive assembly, accessory drive unit, and genset, as well as new exhaust, fuel supply, and energy storage systems. Storage depends on vehicle size, with lithium-ion battery packs ranging from 15 to 70 kWh. Vehicles will get between 40 and 52 miles per charge plus a five-year, 50,000-mile warranty. Felix Kramer of Green Chips Stocks writes that the cost is around $21,000 per vehicle. With millions of fleet vehicles out there, the company's goal is 500,000 conversions over the next several years. From the looks of it, their huge plant in Michigan can handle that.

ALTe already retrofitted a bunch of New York City taxis, according to the Michigan newspaper The Voice. The Detroit Free Press also reported that the company just secured a $240 million purchase order to convert several thousand airport shuttle buses. If ALTe takes off like I think it will, perhaps American automakers will start competing with their own massive vehicle conversion operations. Then we'll finally get this plug-in show on the road.