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The Priuses will enter the Seattle fleet early next year.

SEATTLE – The city of Seattle plans to test a new type of hybrid car next year.

Thirteen Priuses are being converted into plug-in hybrids. That means they'll have a high power lithium battery that can carry the cars 40 miles on electricity alone.

The plug-in hybrids are expected to get 100-miles to the gallon. They'll enter the Seattle fleet early next year.

"It's really a leap beyond what we had available to us before," said Seattle mayor Greg Nickels. "We're going to test it and see if it works and hopefully we'll also help the technology to evolve. We'll have some vehicles that may not work as well as the next generation, but we'll help move that technology along."

Funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory is supporting the project. The Priuses will cost $12,000 each to convert.