Father of plug in hybrid says the time is now.

by Mike Kravinsky

photo of Andrew Franks (center) with PBS's Car Guys

Andrew Frank grew up in California during the heyday of hot rodding, the late '40,s and early 50's. "We all started with conventional cars and then modified them to have better acceleration or performance", he says. Even during that time though, when gas was really cheap, 20 cents per gallon,  he still thought how to also make the cars he built more efficient. "I noticed that, there was greater and greater emphisis on performance, but fuel economy had not improved."  he says, "The industry is going in the wrong direction."

Today, Professor Franks, 74, who has been at the University of California, Davis for 22 years, first thought of the concept of plug in hybrid automotive technology in 1972.  What is a plug in hybrid? Today's  cars like Toyota Prius's are hybrid's meaning they work both with electric and gas engines. The gas engines and brakes charge the electric engine. Franks who has been labeled the "father of the plug in hybrid"  built an engine that can be plugged into a standard home outlet overnight and can drive as far as 60 miles before the engine starts. Meaning you would just use just the electric engine on an average daily commute, that translates into 70 cents per gallon because the gas engine never starts. 

Early on the task was daunting, "Back then, some of the technology existed to build hybrid cars... it was just too expensive."  The one major component, the battery needed, didn't exist. "Those lead acid batteries just weren't going to cut the mustard."  He knew he was on the right track though when the U.S. went through the oil embargo of 1974. 

After years of research, and technology helping with the components he needed Franks, developed his plug in hybrid. He approached all the major auto manufacturers in the early '90's about his vehicle. The response was, "well that's very interesting Professor Frank, but nobody cares about the cost of fuel." Frank pointed out that the cost of fuel was twice the cost of electricity, it wasn't a good enough reason for the auto companies. Even now, he says that some auto manufacturers believe that most people would not want to plug in their car. Although that belief is changing, with Chevrolet's Volt that will debut in 2010. 

Franks believes that the plug in hybrid can be used for much more than automotive uses. "Plug in hybrid is really about energy storage, a power plant doesn't store energy, what you make you have to use, there's no way to store the energy."  he says,  using battery storage you save the power companies money," he says, adding "with the world supply of oil about to peak, we will not be able to reach our demand, no matter how much we drill." 

Franks doesn't want to make lots of money from his technology, "my objective is to see that this technology go worldwide" he says, " China, India, are two places where this technology can really help."

While contemporaries of Professor Franks, long since retired from jobs they held, he is busy shuttling between his office, classroom and garage in his own hybrid with personalized plates PHEV DAD. The technology he and his students created and helped perfect, is getting a lot of notariety these days. Just recently featured on PBS's Car Guys program, Professor Franks sees a higher purpose to what he's doing, "Plug in hybrids is much more than  about automobiles. it's something that can change society."