Hot Wheels: Prius PHEV Goes Up In Flames

The Cooperative Research Network is reporting that a Toyota Prius that was retrofitted with a plug-in hybrid vehicle kit made by Hybrids-Plus exploded earlier this month. The vehicle was part of a test fleet being evaluated by the Central Electric Power Cooperative. The vehicle had been in service since 2007, as part of UC Davis' Institute of Transportation Studies' Plug-In Hybrid Center program, which put 100 retrofitted Priuses on the road in northern California.

Researchers had reported charger-related malfunctions on the vehicle but continued to operate it as part of the test vehicle fleet. The vehicle caught on fire while it was being driven. The driver pulled to the side of the road, exited the vehicle and shortly thereafter, the car exploded.

CRN reports that the A123 Li-ion battery pack, which was all but ruled out as the source of the fire, performed well during the event and showed little damage. The researchers may have difficulty determining the exact failure mode, since the vehicle had no data logger at the time of the accident.

Source: Daily Tech

Photo Credit: Ossian Engmark