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Plug-Ins

Electric hybrid vehicles have become a popular option for those who want to save money on gasoline or help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But now there’s another technology that could take high mileage vehicles to a new level: plug-ins.

These are hybrid cars that could be plugged in overnight to recharge their batteries so that they could be used for around-town and shorter trips without ever having to tap into a gas tank. A small tank of gasoline would still be there for use on longer trips, but wouldn’t be necessary for daily use. The vehicles could potentially get up to 100 miles per gallon.

You won’t find them in showrooms yet, however. While the technology is out there, few manufacturers have shown interest. Toyota, which had denied any interest for a long time, recently conceded that high gasoline prices have boosted their interest in plug-ins. The company is looking at developing such a car.

Some people have already retooled their Toyota Prius hybrids to work as plug-ins, but the company doesn’t sell them that way. Others have voiced concern that such vehicles would still create carbon dioxide emissions by using greater amounts of electricity, which is often produced by burning coal, one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. But researchers say the amount of pollution produced by burning gasoline far exceeds that produced in generating electricity, so it’s still a net savings for the earth.

And, most likely, for the consumer.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org