plug-ins

Last night we watched Who Killed the Electric Car? When it first arrived from Netflix, I thought it was some kind of comedy. It wasn't. It is a documentary, one that I think everyone should see. [It's narrated by Martin Sheen and has clips with Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Peter Horton, Phyllis Diller, and more.]

I think the most struck me was that electric vehicles (EVs) require very little maintenance. There are no oil changes every 3000 miles. No belts to replace. No weird leaks. You'd still need to rotate the tires, and eventually change them, but otherwise visiting the mechanic on a regular basis (along with the gas pump) would be a thing of the past. As a female who is always anxious about being taken advantage of when I bring my car in for service, this would just be so amazing.

I also learned that the EV was a reality for a short while in California and Arizona. Most of them were leased by celebrities. But then the project was pulled and despite lots of money being offered, the EVs were taken back and literally crushed. It is no coincidence that the push for the SUV started right around the same time. Another fact the movie pointed out was that the maximum tax break for an EV was $4000 and a whopping $100,000 for an SUV - seriously.

The movie finds the car companies, the oil companies, the government, the California Air Resources Board, the hydrogen fuel cell, and consumers guilty for the death of the EV. While the general consensus was that hybrid vehicles were good, electric cars, especially a hybrid plug-in, can do so much better.

One of the things the movie didn't really address is how we deal with such a change. Going electric would have a bit of a domino effect. Beside the obvious gas stations being no longer needed, how would we deal with the economic impact of putting mechanics and all those other people who make the cars we currently drive out of work? It is something to think about.

Also to consider is what we as consumers can do. In addition to watching the movie and spreading the word, here are a few others:

Call an auto maker. Ask them when hybrid plug-ins will be available - these vehicles would let you choose when to use gas and when to use electricity. They track stuff like this. Let them know that you are interested. For numbers, click here

Convert your current car. Okay, this isn't going to be cheap, but just about any car can be converted to electric.

Consider a hybrid. Again, not something everyone can do, but it is an option out there today.

Learn about alternative fuels. There are cars out there running on biodiesel. Be aware though that not every crop is the best option. In some cases there is more harm done to the environment harvesting these crops than the benefit of using it to fuel a vehicle.

Just learn more. Start with Plug In America and go from there. There are links to learn more as well as easy steps anyone with a phone or computer can take.

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