Forget those giant red bows on those gas-guzzling Lexus cages. Buy an electric car this Christmas. Besides, arent gasoline-powered cars passe?
The future is here, and its a race between cars powered by natural gas, battery/electric, and hydrogen. Gasoline cars? They are going the way of the horseless carriage.
And if you dont believe me, fine. Im talking about experts and scientists.
When I met Bob Lutz, one of the living legends in the automobile industry, at the recent L.A. Auto Show, he had this to say about the future of automobiles: The electrification of vehicles is definitely coming, said Lutz, the father of the Chevrolet Volt, an all-electric car that has a gas-powered motor that re-charges the batteries and extends the cars range to that of a gasoline-powered car.
Full disclosure: I leased a 2013 Volt in May. I drive to work and to Orange County, where I teach a journalism class, on 99 percent battery power. In the 6,000 miles Ive put on the car, Ive only filled up the 9.5-gallon gas tank twice, and once was in San Diego.
Lutz sees battery electric, or electric plug-in hybrids, or the Volt a more advanced hybrid that can get 40 miles per battery charge and plugs into any electrical outlet in a home, office or garage just like your cell phone charger as the next generation of alternative-fueled cars. The hydrogen-powered car is coming, but the infrastructure is not there yet.
Currently, there are nine hydrogen stations in all of California. Nine. While everyone generally can find a socket to plug in their BEV or plug-in hybrid. I like to fill up at night when electric rates are less. My electric bill was $87 in October and $93 in November the bump due more to the use of electric heaters during the cold snap. I cut up my gasoline credit cards. Dont need them anymore.
The Volt? I leased it for $217 a month. I put down $2,500 but got a rebate from the state for $1,500. My out-of-pocket cost for the car was $1,000. And my monthly bill is lower than when I owned a gasoline-powered car. Im also saving $150 to $200 a month on fuel.
Most people dont realize that BEVs and advanced extended-range battery cars such as the Volt, or the Ford C-Max or Fusion Energi, are out there. They are not in the future. They are now. I saw an advertisement in our newspaper to lease a C-Max for $159 a month.
The Union of Concerned Scientists and the Consumers Union released a survey Wednesday that said 42 percent of those who responded and owned cars about 45 million households were ready and able to drive a Volt or a plug-in hybrid. About half of those households could use an all battery-electric vehicle, such as the Nissan Leaf.
Consumers who might be shopping for a new vehicle this holiday season may be surprised to learn that an electric vehicle could be a good fit for their household, said Josh Goldman, analyst with the UCS Clean Vehicles Program.
The survey found that 70 percent of the drivers drive less than 60 miles on a weekday, well within the range of an all battery-electric car. The rest can drive a Volt, which switches to the gas tank to power the electric drive train when the battery charge is zero.
Lastly, the scientists calculated if everyone who could switch to an all-electric or a plug-in extended range car did so, the nation would save 15 billion gallons of gasoline each year. By the way, that is more than what was used in the state during 2012.
Heres the best part: The planet would save 89 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. That is the equivalent of removing 14 million of todays gasoline-powered cars from the road in a year.
The message is simple: Have a garage, or have a plug, and most of you can save the planet. And cut up your gasoline credit cards.
Lets put a big green bow on that.
Steve Scauzillo covers the environment and the communities along the Puente Hills. Hes the current recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award for Distinguished Editorial Writing from The Wilderness Society. Follow him on Twitter @stevscaz/twitter.com or email him at steve.scauzillo@langnews.com.