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Shock: Plug-in Conversions Don't Deliver 100mpg, Don't Save Money

hymotion400x267.jpg Whenever some company we've never heard of promises "100mpg!" from any motorized vehicle, we take it with more than just a grain of salt. We pretty much consider it crap.

Not that it's impossible, but given that Toyota's R&D budget hovers around $7-8 billion a year, it seems a tad far fetched to think that one could virtually double the mileage of Toyota's best effort with a simple add-on device installed in a few hours.

Of course, that doesn't stop the believers, and thankfully it didn't stop Consumer Reports from testing the best-selling Prius plug-in conversion kit on the market. It concluded that the system from A123 Systems didn't even come close to its claims and "cost more than you could ever expect to recoup in gas savings." Our hybrid watchers over at Green Car Advisor have more on the story, but needless to say we weren't the least bit surprised.

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