From the article, “ReGo Electric Conversions offers a glimpse of the future of hybrids” by Dan Haugen, published in The Line, July 14, 2010
A south Minneapolis garage this week gave supporters a sneak peek at its new business, and a glimpse of what might be the future of the automobile. ReGo Electric Conversions will open for business Aug. 19, but it hosted an open house on Monday for partners and curious neighbors to take a look. Its shop is located under the same solar-panel-covered roof as Mulroy’s Body Shop, at 3920 Nicollet Ave. S. in the Kingfield neighborhood.
The company will convert gas-electric hybrid vehicles into plug-in hybrids, which contain an extra battery that can be charged off an ordinary electrical outlet.
Co-founder Shayna Berkowitz says a few years ago she was looking for someone to convert her Toyota RAV4 to an all-electric vehicle. When she couldn’t find any shops in town that could do the job, she thought there might be an opportunity.
Gas-to-hybrid-or-electric vehicle conversions are an expensive proposition, more than $40,000 per vehicle. The market for them doesn’t exist today, but Berkowitz believes it will someday, and that ReGo will be ready when it arrives. Meanwhile, Berkowitz and her business partner, Alex Danovitch, believe there’s enough work to keep them busy converting hybrids to plug-in hybrids.
