Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge hitched a ride in a plug-in hybrid electric car Wednesday and appeared to be impressed.
"It's very quiet and a very smooth ride," Judge said. "It moved right along."
Judge was at Consumers Energy in Marshalltown to view the car, which is being tested by Consumers' employees with help from money from the Iowa Power Fund.
Its battery can last for about 35 miles and testing has been going on by Consumers for more than a year.
"This project is really very interesting and cool," Judge said. "This is the future."
Brian Heithoff, CEO of Consumers Energy, said it was an honor to have Judge visit the facility and test the car.
"It's an exciting opportunity for us to talk about one of the projects we feel strongly about," Heithoff said.
Heithoff said testing has indicated the plug-in battery used in the 2008 Toyota Prius does not work well in the cold.
"The weather does make a big difference," he said.
The next step in the research will involve new hybrid technology classes with Marshalltown Community College in August where students will be able to assist with the car.
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Contact Andrew Potter at 641-753-6611 or apotter@timesrepublican.com
