A former IBM engineer has designed a kit that can transform existing automobiles into hybrids. The kit would place an electric motor inside each wheel so that a majority of drivers would get double the fuel mileage.

EETimes.Eu.Uk and R. Colin Johnson (Automotive DesignLine) reports:

"Charles Perry ... recently received first prize for his invention at a green energy competition at the Tennessee Technology Development Corp. The patent pending Plug-in Hybrid Retrofit Kit will be developed into a commercial product by Palmer Labs LLC (Reston, Va.).

According to Perry, 80 percent of U.S. drivers make daily trips of less than 30 miles at 40 miles per hour or slower, all of which could be powered by his 10-15 horsepower electric motors to save as much as 120 million gallons of fuel per day in the U.S. alone, he claimed. The motors would be powered by extra batteries installed in the automobile's trunk. Perry said the kit will cost between $3,000 to $5,000." See full article.