It appears that U.S. gasoline prices are headed over $2 again, and before long, Americans will likely again be feeling the urgency for better fuel economy as they did in the summer of 2008. While GM is supposedly trying its damndest to début a saleable plug-in hybrid by 2010, many individuals with ingenuity around the globe have already produced their own custom made plug-in hybrids. Two college kids in Wheaton Illinois, Chris and Andrew Ewert, have constructed a plug-in hybrid by installing a lithium-ion battery in a stock Toyota Prius. The battery works in tandem with the car’s nickel-metal hydride battery already installed in the car.

Many of the established auto industry experts have dismissed car kits like the one created by the Ewerts as impractical solutions for mass production. You be the judge after watching the following video.

You can also read an interview with Chris and Andrew Ewert in the August 2008 issue of Today’s Machining World.