Electric Cooperative Puts a Socket In It
Jackson EMC First Electric Cooperative to Get Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle 

For Immediate Release
(Jefferson, Ga., August 24, 2007)
Rev up the engine and ride for 600 or more miles without refilling the gas tank. This may sound too good to be true, but thanks to a national research project, Jackson EMC is studying how 100 miles per gallon may soon be a reality. The first electric cooperative to convert a Toyota Prius hybrid into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, Jackson EMC is participating in a research project sponsored by the National Rural Cooperative’s Research Association’s Cooperative Research Network (CRN).

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) use a combination of electricity and gasoline and can get over 100 mpg around town. “The car works like a normal hybrid on long trips. For less than 50 cents a day, a PHEV can be plugged in at home and charged in approximately four hours,” says Alan Shedd, Jackson EMC’s Commercial/Industrial Marketing engineer.

CRN’s two-year study will provide valuable data on how PHEVs perform in the real world, along with unbiased answers to questions about the impact of this technology if used on a larger scale. According to Shedd, the CRN study is unique because it’s one of the largest, most comprehensive reviews conducted by a third party on how PHEVs perform.

“We’re proud to be part of CRN’s research project.  With CRN underwriting the conversion costs, we’re allowed to see firsthand how this technology will best serve our membership without placing the financial burden on the cooperative. We have a small fleet of hybrid vehicles, and with our experience with this conversion, we’ll know how the car’s performance will fare if used in more of our vehicle fleet,” states Randall Pugh, Jackson EMC president/CEO.

Through CRN’s project, Jackson EMC’s hybrid was converted to a plug-in hybrid by refitting it with a larger battery pack. The larger battery pack, which is hand-built, allows longer drive times from the electric charge without relying on the gasoline engine.  Shedd drove the Prius 2,750 miles from Atlanta to Monrovia, Calif., where the weeklong rebuilding process began. “The car’s interior was taken apart, removing the original battery pack and replacing it with the larger battery pack.  A plug-in charging system and data collection software were also added to the car. After conversion, I put my trust in our newly converted prototype and made the almost 3,000 mile drive back to Georgia. Six months and 13,000 miles later, the car is still working well,” says Shedd.

CRN is a service of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., CRN’s mission is to monitor, evaluate and apply technologies that help cooperatives control costs, increase productivity and enhance service to members.

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, one of the largest electric cooperatives in Georgia and the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves nearly 200,000 meters and more than 188,400 individual accounts.

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For more information, contact:
K.D. Bryant Graham, Sr. PR/Communications Representative
Jackson Electric Membership Corporation
706/367-6163 (office) 
kbryant@jacksonemc.com