Google plugs in to hybrid car development with $10M

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Internet search giant Google hopes to speed the development of plug-in hybrid cars by giving away millions of dollars to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-ins to market faster. But the money, announced Monday afternoon [18 Jun 2007] at Google headquarters in Mountain Valley, Calif., totals just $1 million so far with another $10 million pledged, which might not be enough to move the needle. Auto development is crushingly expensive, especially when it involves the kind of advanced battery and powertrain technology used in plug-in hybrids. Though automakers are tight-lipped about what they spend, bringing a plug-in hybrid to market could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Google is not going to get into the business of building and selling hybrid electrics. Our focus is on accelerating their developing through research, testing and investment," says Google.org's Dan Reicher, who was assistant energy secretary under former President Bill Clinton. Google.org is the philanthropic arm of Google.com.

General Motors is the only major automaker that has announced specific plans to market plug-in vehicles, as soon as 2010. "We applaud them for the investment in plug-in hybrid vehicle technologies," says Brian Corbett, GM's hybrid powertrain spokesman. "Every little bit helps." The federal government plans to spend $28 million on plug-in component research in fiscal 2008, he notes.

Google says it has a small fleet of Toyota Prius and Ford Escape hybrids modified into plug-ins, and is recording 74 miles per gallon, vs. 41 mpg from its ordinary Prius hybrids. Even though other car companies haven't announced plug-in plans, "There is a lot going on behind the scenes," Reicher asserts. "I would wager that three or four years from now we'll be looking at commercialization of these vehicles."

- Now, what are the chances of Google becoming an energy company in addition to being a search company?

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