plug n play

Austin Texas is starting a public campaign to promote plug-in hybrid cars. Frankly its amazing to see this in the gas-guzzling state of Tejas where the roads are built extra wide in case you feel like swerving. I wonder what the commandant thinks of this as well. More forward thinking communities like Austin are needed to eliminate our dependence on the importation of fossil fuels. Especially since our federal government seems unwilling to change.

The appeal of plug-in vehicles is underscored by the fact that 78 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of their jobs. A battery pack sufficient to power a vehicle a distance of 35 miles on a charge would mean a majority of Americans would likely need to fill up with gasoline only once or twice a month. In addition, an "electric" gallon of gas would cost 70 to 80 cents at prevailing electric rates. A plug-in hybrid that gets 25 miles on a gallon of $2.55-national-average gasoline could travel more than 100 miles on $2.55 worth of "electric" gallons of energy.

How would PHEVs impact the national economy?
A 2002 EPRI study indicated that if 25% of Americans drove PHEVs by 2025, there would be an $88 billion net annual economic benefit. This would include a $26 billion decrease in the U.S. trade deficit, $7.5 billion saved due to "oil disruptions" that lead to increased gasoline costs, plus the projected creation of over 400,000 jobs.
plug in