I took the weekend off to spend with my 3 brothers. Mark, Glen and Lyle (sorry - no hot link to Mark since he does not have a blog despite being the one with the journalism degree). We had an awesome time as we always do. Lots of laughs - something I do not do enough.
Glen loaned me a book called "Plug in Hybrids" by Sherry Boschert. Glen reads tons of books on energy, conservation etc. The book was a great read and made a compelling case for hybrid cars (like my Prius) that plug in to recharge. This would allow them to run for perhaps 100 Km or more without the gas engine kicking in. She makes a compelling environmental case.
What she missed was a good chapter on the economics of using electric power from the grid vs. gas. The information was there but it was hard to get at (running an straight electricity from the grid is about half the cost of gas). For environmentalism to become mainstream, I think it needs to be driven by economics.
Perhaps I am too overboard on the time efficiency but she could also use a chapter on the time savings to just plug in at night instead of filling up at a gas station. I never timed how long it takes to fill up but it seems whenever I need gas, I am running late and there is a line up at the pumps. And for that matter, it is usually the coldest day of the year with a good strong wind.
There is a bit of conspiracy theory throughout on GM killing their famous electric car etc.
Bottom line. After I read the book, I would definitely get a plug in hybrid and hope the automakers come up with one soon.
Good news for you. There are a few companies that are in the business of converting the Prius to a plug-in hybrid. One of them is Hymotion located near Toronto. Go to www.hymotion.com. Have fun.
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