BURBANK MAY LOBBY FOR `PLUG-IN' HYBRIDS PLAN PART OF LARGER MOVEMENT TO BURN LESS GAS.

Byline: JASON KANDEL Staff Writer

BURBANK -- One of the nation's most polluted cities may soon join a grass-roots effort to lobby automakers to accelerate the development of hybrid-electric vehicles.

Under a plan set for City Council consideration on July 18, Burbank would join more than 100 utilities nationwide -- including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power -- as a ``Plug-In Partner,'' an effort started in January in Austin, Texas.

``It's the concept of, `build it and they will come,''' said John Joyce, an electrical engineering associate with Burbank Water and Power. ``With gas prices at historic highs, having a vehicle that can do 100 miles per gallon has a lot of people interested these cars.''

With Burbank ranking sixth on a new list of the nation's cities with the sootiest air, Mayor Todd Campbell supports the effort to reduce pollution.

``We certainly welcome hybrid-electric strategies,'' said Campbell, who is also the public policy director of Seal Beach-based Clean Energy, which provides natural gas for transportation. ``I'm extremely supportive of any effort that would lead to lower costs, more choice and a cleaner environment.''

Burbank has been involved in several other environmental projects in recent years, including an effort to offer incentives to contractors who use cleaner equipment on municipal construction projects, and the addition of a hydrogen fueling station as part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ``hydrogen highway'' campaign to create infrastructure to serve thousands of high-tech vehicles by 2010.

Plug-In Partners was formed by Austin Mayor Will Wynn and the Austin City Council in the hope of reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

Officials in Austin said they are pleased Burbank is considering signing on.

``It's great. It shows that our dependence on foreign oil is a problem nationwide,'' said Lisa Braithwaite, Plug-In Partners' program coordinator. ``The technology's here now. We have all the infrastructure in place. It could be done.''

Officials say the plug-in hybrid can travel up to 60 miles without using gasoline after an overnight charge from a standard electric socket, and can be charged up each night for less than $1.

So far, DaimlerChrysler has built plug-in demonstration delivery vans and several companies have converted Toyota Prius' into plug-ins.

But there are none currently on the market. If the cars do become available, they would likely cost thousands of dollars more than the Prius or Honda Civic hybrids currently on the market, partly because of the high cost of the batteries.

``This year has definitely been the breakout year for plug-in hybrids, starting with President Bush and his energy initiative,'' said John Davi, a spokesman for CalCars, a technology advocacy group based in Palo Alto. ``He talked about plug-in hybrids almost everywhere he stopped for a couple of months. Plug-in hybrids are really the answer to the resurgence of the electric vehicle.''

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com

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