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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 1, 2004 Patrick Box shows the electrical power source for his hybrid pickup truck, which he developed to run on battery power as well as gasoline. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell When U.S. automakers were slow to develop cleaner-running trucks, Talent’s Patrick Box installed an electric motor and batteries in his gas-powered Toyota to create his own ... Dual-power pickup By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Patrick Box couldn’t wait for the auto industry to build a less-polluting truck, so he designed one himself. The Talent man took his four-wheel drive Toyota pickup, installed an electric motor and batteries, and became the first on his block to own a hybrid vehicle. "It was fairly easy," said the 65-year-old Box of the six-month process that cost about $5,000. Built five years ago, the truck took 65-year-old Box across country in May along with other alternative energy vehicles in a "Drive to Survive" event promoted by actor Dennis Weaver. When he’s not traveling across the country, Box drives around Jackson County, picking up lumber from Jacksonville, or, before he retired, fixing copy machines. Advertisement From the outside it’s difficult to tell the vehicle has an electric motor, because most of the add-ons are beneath the hood. From the driver’s seat, the only thing different is an electric meter attached to the dash. Since he originally converted the truck, which uses golf-cart batteries mounted in the bed, auto manufacturers have produced their own versions of hybrid vehicles. "The technology that is happening in the auto industry is equivalent to what happened to computers in the ’80s," he said. Box’s hybrid might not be state-of-the-art anymore, but it has been a reliable means of transportation, logging 50,000 miles with hardly a hitch. "The only thing I’ve replaced are the batteries," he said. The truck goes only about 30 miles on a charge, which is fine for driving around the Rogue Valley. Typically, Box runs the vehicle with both the stock gas engine and electric motor going together. His gas mileage, about 20 miles per gallon before the conversion, averages 33 now. The electric motor supplies power to the back wheels only, which Box prefers because it provides higher torque to get up hills. With both motors running in tandem, the little Toyota has quite a bit more pep than with just the gas engine alone. "It’s a little like a turbo boost," he said. Some of the newer, more sophisticated electric cars are far more powerful, — one can go from 0-60 mph in only 3.2 seconds . Now Box has his sights set on building a hydrogen-powered vehicle that he hopes will convert water into the powerful gas. Kenan Smith, field representative for the state Department of Environmental Quality, said that in general the use of hybrid vehicles "reduces the amount of fossil fuels and pollutants going into the atmosphere." A representative from the state Department of Motor Vehicles said 2,000 hybrid cars had been registered as of April 2003, but the number is probably much higher now because of the increasing popularity of these vehicles. Two years earlier, there were no hybrid vehicles registered in Oregon. Mark Zinn, general sales manager at Lithia Toyota, said the current Prius hybrid is one of the most sought after vehicles. The dealership has sold 70 hybrids since they first appeared two years ago. Zinn said there is a backlog of 30 people waiting to purchase the car. "If you ordered it today, you’d get it by March or April next year," he said. Box hopes that more people become interested in owning an alternative vehicle, which will lead to better air quality. "We can’t go backward in our pursuit of clean air," he said. "We need to raise the bar." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times