STEP #7

Buy a Plug-in

Okay, this one is so cool—when you buy your next car, make it an electric one. If everybody bought plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), we would break the shackles of Middle Eastern oil almost instantly. A PHEV has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, as well as batteries that can be recharged using an ordinary electrical outlet in the wall. With costs for powering them estimated at a quarter of what we spend on gasoline, PHEVs put us on the right track, reducing our need for oil and leaving us with less air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions…not to mention the $2,500 to $7,500+ tax credits given to their purchasers.

The launch of China’s BYD Auto’s F3DM PHEV-68 (PHEV109km) hatchback on December 15, 2008 (for $22,000), made BYD the first company to sell mass-produced plug-in hybrid cars. Currently, most PHEVs on the road are conversions of 2004 or later Toyota Prius models, with plug-in charging added and their electric-only range extended.

And other electric plug-ins are just down the road.

General Motors promises its electric plug-in Volt will be available in 2010 at a price of around $30,000. It will get the equivalent of 150 miles per gallon in urban travel, meaning we can make most of our trips that are 40 miles or less without using any gas at all. The car’s small generator engine recharges the battery and gives the car a 400- to 600-mile range on just one tank of gas.

Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen and the new Fisker Automotive and Aptera Motors are also slated to roll out their own PHEVs in the coming years. Plug-ins are coming, folks. Judging from user reports, you’re going to love them.