I asked myself that question when my 2011 Subaru Forester turned over 100,000 miles. The vehicle squeaked and creaked and got 24 miles per gallon. At the current average price of $3.50 in Tucson, it would cost me $60 to fill the tank.
So I happily sold it. As a replacement, I got a 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE hybrid that plugs into a household outlet. After I drove 825 miles, I finally filled the tank with 9.3 gallons of gas for $35. That works out to 88 miles per gallon. I’ll also get a $7,500 tax credit.
Driving green is saving me a ton of money. Also, I’m reducing my carbon footprint and cutting the pollutants and toxins emitted by the vehicle. Now I wonder why I waited so long.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal includes $7.5 billion to build the first-ever nationwide network of 500,000 public charging stations for hybrid and electric cars. The President also signed an executive order on August 5, 2021, calling for half of all new cars to be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2030.
What to drive
Consumer Reports recommends four hybrids:
- Toyota RAV4 Prime – Base MSRP Range: $39,800 – $43,125
- Kia Niro Electric – Base MSRP Range: $39,990 – $44,650
- Toyota Prius Prime – Base MSRP Range: $28,220 – $34,000
- 2022 Nissan Leaf – Base MSRP Range: $27,400 – $37,400
The RAV4 has a driving range of 42 miles on battery-only, which is perfect for daily errands around town. The total range using the battery and gas motor is 600 miles, or enough to drive from Tucson to Phoenix five times without refueling.
It seats five and has all-wheel drive. The vehicle has 33 cubic feet of cargo space (or 63 cubic feet with the back seats down). The thing I love about the RAV4 Prime is its quickness. With 300 horsepower, it zips from zero to 60 mph in only 6.3 seconds.
The RAV4 has plenty of safety features. It has a rearview mirror that tells me when another car is in my blind spot, a rear-view backup display, a lane departure alert with steering assist, and front collision mitigation that brakes to avoid a head-on crash.
There’s even a RAV4 discussion forum where owners post updates about tires, features, remote starting, and comparisons to other hybrids.
Recharging will be everywhere
There are 5.8 million hybrid electric vehicles on the road today in the US. Sales of hybrid electric cars grew 142% in 2021. Hyundai’s hybrid sales exploded this year — it sold 32,983 hybrids in the US — a more than fivefold increase from the same period last year.
Meanwhile:
- There are 235 charging stations in Tucson.
- Arizona has more than 1,300 charging stations, primarily in Maricopa County, where more than 60% of Arizona residents live.
- Nationwide there are 100,000 public chargers.
- The Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan will invest $7.5 billion to create a convenient and equitable network of 500,000 charging stations.
Today the nation’s transportation system accounts for 29% of all US carbon pollution.
The federal programs will spur additional private sector investments and build out a user-friendly, cost-effective, and financially sustainable national network creating jobs that pay well in manufacturing, installation, and operation.
The US Department of Transportation is restoring the previous administration’s harmful rollbacks of near-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards.
The new actions will:
- Save 200 billion gallons of gasoline.
- Reduce two billion metric tons of carbon pollution.
- Boost public health.
- Advance environmental justice.
- Tackle the climate crisis.
Another $3 billion in currently available American Rescue Plan funds will be used to advance the domestic electric vehicle industry.
New agency is “one-stop-shop”
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg created a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation on December 14, 2021. It will provide technical assistance to states, counties, and cities to deploy the EV charging infrastructure and supply the data and tools needed to help develop state EV charging plans. The Joint Office also contributes to Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which requires delivering at least 40% of the benefits from federal climate and clean energy investments to underserved communities.
“The Office will support career training and certification programs to strengthen career pathways for Americans and create good-paying jobs that will lead the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable future,” Buttigieg said.
This will provide states, communities, industry, labor, and consumer groups with a coordinated federal approach and a “one-stop-shop” for resources on EV charging.
“Transportation is responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions of any sector in our economy — so it can and must be a big part of the solution to the climate crisis,” Buttigieg said. “We are taking a big step forward on climate by helping make the benefits of EVs more accessible for all Americans.”
For fun: Driving electric trucks with EPA Administrator Michael Regan
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Well Larry, many cannot afford electric vehicles at this time. Case in point: I drive a 2010 Tacoma Access Cab with a 4 cylinder five speed stick shift that I bought new. Gets 24-27mpg in the summer & 28-30 mpg the rest of the year. With my errands & volunteer work I fill up once or twice a month.
Being retired on Social Security the plan is to dip into my savings & buy a new electric car (or truck) when the Tacoma dies. Hopefully by then EV technology will be more evolved & charging stations more plentiful nationwide.
Right there with you Wileybud.
I’m going to either electrify my existing car when I get the chance (Ford has released an electric crate motor you can drop into some of their models) or buy electric when my car gives up the ghost.
My car is 20 years old, has 98,000 miles because I telecommute, and I only drive it a few times a week to the store.
Swapping the gas engine for electric is the dream, because then I won’t be throwing away an entire car, and the amount of pollution and environmental damage a new car creates doesn’t always offset using less gas.
If we’d have listened to Jimmy Carter 40+ years ago things would be different, but this is the world we live in now.
I will never buy another gasoline vehicle, but it’s more complicated than just green vs. gas.
Hadn’t considered electrifying the Tacoma, wonder if Toyota will offer that for older vehicles. Especially since CD players are no longer an option on the newer ones.
I know, right? Over the years bought CDs of all my favorite music. I collected all three wallets of CD, sat in the RAV4, and there’s no way to play them!
A buddy ran into the same problem. Due to health issues he moved to San Antonio where he’s living in a casita on his son’s property. Met the son, a retired Navy Chief corpsman, when he came out here to help his dad move & drive him to SA. My buddy had a bunch of CDs for the trip and discovered that his son’s new truck had no player. Long drive!
So what’s the answer? Don’t even want to think about converting music collection CDs to MP3s or whatever the format is these days. I volunteer at KXCI & we get new CDs from established artists along with the up & coming bands all the time.