Last year, we discovered quite a few interesting green car advocates at Hybridfest in Madison, Wisconsin: a hypermiling Honda Insight driver, someone with a 100mpg+ Prius, and a Hobbit. This year, fans of the gas-electric powertrains will be returning to one of the Midwest's hippest little cities to share their love of their rides now that gas costs as much as it does. The third annual show takes place July 19 and 20 as part of the Dane County Fair.

Actually, the name Hybridfest is a bit misleading. The show will offer a broad look at alternative powertrains for vehicles, including biofueluels, propane, CNG, PHEVs and pure electrics. And here's something that sounds good but I'm not quite sure how accurate it is: "Hybridfest 2008 visitors will learn how to save from 35 cents to $1 per gallon in fuel costs -- or more -- by adding fuel-efficient driving habits," the organizers said in a statement (pasted after the jump. A 25 percent improvement (roughly) in fuel economy, just by drving better? That's a lot.

It's not looking likely that anyone from ABG will be able to make the trek to Madison this summer, so if you will be going and want to contribute some photos or reports from the scene, let us know. We're sure there will be something worth talking about there.

Being one of the greenest folk of Middle Earth, hobbits are particularly fond of not only the environment, but anything environmentally friendly. The Toyota Prius is their favorite mode of transportation this side of a pony. They have been sensing, however, the smog of evil creeping towards the Shire, and in an effort to halt its advance are trying to educate people on the magical wonders of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive.

This man in the video calls himself Hobbit, and while I do know his real name, we agree that his alias suits him better. He claims to be the Toyota's lowest-paid salesman because of how much publicity he has given them over the past couple years. He is trying to promote and distribute information on using the Prius to its full potential, maintaining it properly, and driving more economically and intelligently. He is a strong believer in the information exchange of the internet, and surfaces on blogs and message boards throughout cyberspace. The above video was shot at Hybrid Fest 2007 in Madison, WI. Despite his eccentricities, Hobbit has a wealth of knowledge and enough personality to perhaps save the Shire and the rest of Middle Earth.

Now here's a guy that knows how to build a plug-in Prius. I don't mean he just has the technical expertise, which Horacio seems to have in spades, I mean he knows how to build one for only $4000.

I met Horacio at HybridFest. He doesn't consider himself a hypermiler, but he is concerned about the environment and tries to be as ecologically friendly as possible. As a member of the Long Island Prius Owners Group, he and many other members enjoy trading ideas and implementing ways of improving the Prius in one way or another. Thus, adding a heap of batteries, some multimedia extras and a plug in the bumper became a popular idea and was made a reality by Horacio Calvento. Fortunately for him, he is in the retail electronics business, which means he has working relationships with companies like Panasonic, Jayso Electronics and Manzanita Micro (previously seen here). With batteries donated by Panasonic, he instantly saved thousands of dollars. Since he did it himself or with the help of the occasional friend/hobbyist/enthusiast, there were no labor costs involved either except for time. And it only took him a few months. The result is a clean, crisp-looking Prius that gets a cool 88 mpg every day. Imagine what it could do in the hands of a hypermiler.

For those of you not gifted with a friendship with Panasonic, your task is made easier if not less expensive by Horacio's online instructions on the Owners Group website at the Read link. A brief gallery is below, and there are many more in-depth pictures at the aforementioned site.

Coming at you from Hybrid Fest 2007, here's an interview with Ryan Fulcher about his plug-in Prius. Interestingly, Ryan does not consider himself a hypermiler - he doesn't like to worry about his driving habits, and just drives safely. While that may make those of you in the forest green spectrum scoff, the fact that Ryan is a paler shade of green really only makes his Prius' mpg figure more impressive.

He uses a battery charger from Manzanita Micro to not only charge the batteries when plugged in at home, but to have the additional lead-acid batteries charge the stock battery, extending the range of the Prius' electric motor. A simple solution, but unfortunately a costly one. A conversion kit can cost $10-12,000, which would take years to return in fuel savings. However, the point is not to make a business out of this kit. Admirably, it's to show the major automakers that plug-in hybrids are easy to build and that there is a market for them. One would hope they already realize that, but as Ryan says, this "proof of concept" should be pretty good evidence in favor of production.

My, what a big luxury sedan you have.

All the better to drive you with, my dear.

Not that Lexus is a big, bad wolf in any way, but at the Chauffeur Drive '07, they might as well be the only sponsor of the event, because it'll be their show. All the luxury amenities, stylishness, gadgets to make a technophile moist, and the fact that it's a hybrid will make the LS 600h L the couture d'elegance of businessmen and money-pit well-dippers too important or self-important to drive themselves.

The show itself is intended to be the gleeful high point of the year for professional drivers in Europe. It will take place at Surrey's Dunsfold Park, the place where Top Gear likes to play with cars, videotape them and call it work. There will be presentations on all things chauffeuring, from rules and regulations to starting your own company, as well as a used limo lot, where those who attended the latter seminar can purchase their first fleet cars.

Included below is a gallery of the LS 600h L at Hybrid Fest 2007. It was notably imposing but not overstated, and I did like the blue-background Lexus logo, matching the LED headlights. Too bad it was locked with no keys in sight.

By the way, if you're a cabbie, that means you aren't a chauffeur. All it'll take, however, is a little air-freshener, some calmer and safer driving habits, a more strict personal grooming regimen, and a vehicle not swathed in an obnoxious color, and they'll welcome you with open arms at the Chauffeur Drive '08.

[Source: Chauffeur Drive '07]

As mentioned by Insight owner and hypermiler Randall Burkhalter in the first Hybrid Fest video posted, the MIMA system is an electronic retrofit which allows the driver to manually control the Integrated Motor Assist in the Honda Insight. At Hybrid Fest 2007, I got to meet and interview Mike Dabrowski, who invented the system and is building and selling them to Insight owners.

The simplicity and the results of the system are remarkable, however, Mike is running out of the control boards that make it possible. He's working for cheap because he really wants to do the green thing (check out his personal Insight) and do what he can for the environment, but if people aren't going to order them any longer, her can't invest the money into having more boards made. So if you own an Insight and want to maximize its efficiency, call up this self-proclaimed "mad scientist" now, and thank me later.

On the road again... Hybrid Fest 2007 is happening this weekend, folks, so buckle up, plug your PDA into your Prius, and maximize every ounce of oil in your tank to get to Madison, Wisconsin for two days of jolly green joy. Bloggers, hypermilers, hybrid owners and everyone else is invited to the largest hybrid event in the country for mingling, test driving, and a little learning on the side.

On the agenda in the presentation department are author Sherry Boschert talking about plug-in hybrids and how they'll change America, Jonathon Foley from SAGE giving us "News from a Warming Planet", and Wisconsin State Representative Joe Parisi on the Wisconsin hybrid car tax bill, among other things. There will be interactive displays from Toyota (naturally) and other manufacturers, as well as exhibits on alternative fuels. The MPG Challenge invites competitors on a 20-mile course to see who can get the most miles per gallon - any prize for the winner beyond saving the planet for a day is just icing on the cake.

I'll be there covering the event for those of you who can't make it, and I'll be meeting and greeting the average Joe's to find out how they get above average fuel economy, so you can learn about them right from the comfort of your own home. Unfortunately, it looks as though I'll miss the conversion of Wisconsin Public Power's Prius to a plug-in hybrid, so whoever can videotape that and post it on YouTube, will get the vid posted here on AutoblogGreen, a shout out for who it came from, and a high-bandwidth stream of happy thoughts from me. I'll see you guys Saturday!

[Source: HybridFest]

The second annual Hybridfest is going to happen July 21-22, 2007 at the Alliant Energy Center Grounds in Madison, WI. A local non-profit group called Hybridfest, Inc. organized the first event last summer and after a huge turnout decided to expand the event to two days this time around. The festival is actually growing beyond just hybrids this year to include other alternative fuel transport, like biofuels, hydrogen, and plug-in vehicles.

One of the weekend's activities is a 20 mile MPG Challenge course were drivers can take their un-hacked hybrids and see if they can beat the 73-150 mpg averages that drivers achieved last year. In 2006, 160 hybrids from 21 states and Canada turned up to participate and 2,500 people who attended the Dane County Fair also checked out the cars on display. Other activities that are planned for this year are test drives in hybrid vehicles, educational exhibits, and assorted speakers such as Sherry Boschert, author of Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars that Will Recharge America.

Related:

• AutoblogGreen Q&A with Sherry Boschert: why plug-in hybrids will recharge America

[Source: HybridFest]

A non-profit group is organizing what is claimed to be the first hybrid electric car show this summer, July 22nd, in Madison, Wisconsin. The event is being promoted as a grass-roots effort by a number of hybrid vehicle owners with no ties to the automotive industry. While the traditional car show might be all about showing your hardware and socializing with enthusiasts, this event wants to educate the public about hybrid cars as well - a worthwile cause in our opinion. For the small fee of $25 your hybrid car can be part of the show.

[Source: EV World]