on So we still haven’t replaced the Subaru, and I’m on a hunt for the answer to a question I hear all the time now: “How and where can I buy an electric car?”
Short locating an out-of-production RAV4 EV, or investing in a Tesla Roadster (not in my league) it turns out that the answer is conversion. Thousands of gas-powered vehicles have been converted by DIY-ers and service specialists. A great catalog of these can be found here. Costs run $3-10K, but that’s beginning to look like a bargain to me.
on Jon Stewart’s segments are often short but pointed; tonight he spoke with Daniel Sperling, whose book “Two Billion Cars” digs in to the issues of sustainable transportation. It’s his fourth book on the subject. Why hadn’t I discovered this author earlier? Must keep watching, I suppose.
on Discovered a new resource today (and just in time to help with car selection): the ACEEE Greener Cars report. They charge for the full report (under $10) but offer free “green driving tips” where I finally learned what those black, accordion-looking plastic devices on gas pumps are: vapor-recovery nozzles. A good thing. Since you have to buy gas, try to use the right pump.
Must also give a nod to the Low Impact Living newsletter, where I found the link.
on Thanks to a severe whack to the rear-end of our aging Subaru, my husband and I are in the market for another car (as is the young driver who hit us, I suppose). But despite the desperate offers coming from auto salespeople, this is a hard choice to make. The car we’ll want to be driving three years from now isn’t available yet, and we don’t want to commit to a loan on a vehicle that may suddenly lose value when fuel prices spike again.
So while we have an opportunity to stimulate the economy with insurance dollars, we’re feeling cautious. Leasing a Prius might be the best option… if we can find one!