2. The Promise of Electric Vehicles

Tom Hanks has supported improving the environment for years, both with words and actions. He owns more than one electric vehicle. “I still have a Toyota RAV4 EV and never spent a penny on gasoline for it,” he said. Tom Hanks reflected about the importance of zero-emission vehicles, “Growing up in northern California has had a big influence on my love and respect for the outdoors. Unfortunately, I have witnessed in my lifetime a great loss of wilderness areas. I hope that the world gains an appreciation for what’s here and does everything it can to protect it. I want my children and all of their children to enjoy the same wonders I experienced as a boy.”

Who killed the electric car? No one. There are 40,000 electric vehicles in use in the United States today. The chapter opens with how Kacey Childers and her daughters meet their daily needs with an electric vehicle with a 25-mile per hour top speed. The Childers feel good about going green. Range and speed have not been a big deal because of the quality of life in their city.

Several automakers will soon be selling electric vehicles in the United States that you can charge in your garage and other places. Some will give you a range of over 100 miles between charges, drive at freeway speeds, and cost less than $30,000. The race to market includes Nissan, Renault, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Subaru, and emerging players such as Think, Smart, BYD, Tesla, Miles, ZENN, and a host of other companies.

In households with two or more vehicles, one could be 100 percent electric, saving thousands per year on fuel.

Learn about new electric vehicles and the future of transportation in John Addison’s new book - Save Gas, Save the Planet

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