Finally! A mass-market plug-in hybrid car is coming!

I doubt my letter to Toyota was the dispositive factor, but it feels good to know your input might have mattered.

THIS is what consumers need: http://http//www.toyota.com/upcoming-vehicles/prius-plug-in/?srchid=K610_p339795480

Just look at the benefits:
1. You can drive 13 miles on a charge, with no gas usage; that is amost enough to get me to work and back, w/o using any gasoline. At all.
2. A charge takes only 3 hours on 110 volt electricity, and uses only about 3 kwh, which costs about $.20! Try driving on gasoline for 13 miles, for only $.20. This is one major way in which we can wean ourselves off of imported oil. No thanks to our governemnt, which in 40 years has not given us any semblance of an energy policy.
3. If you need more range, then the existing hybrid technology kicks in; you get about 50mpg and your range is about 400 miles;
4. Sure, it's a dinky Prius but it does have some space under the hatchback for carrying stuff. I wish they would make the interior a bit more upscale.
5. This destroys the failed-before-it-launches Nissan Leaf (which is electric only, and can go only about 40 miles. Then what? You get out and push? No thank you--it is stupid.).
6. This allows you to arbitrage the prices of gasoline and electricity, and choose your cheaper fuel. Right now, that is electricity. This means that you can not only save the planet, but also be just like the commodity traders at Goldman Sachs. Might save hundreds (thousands?) of dollars over the life of the car. Talk about an ego rush!
7. This allows you to say "screw you" to Big Oil (that is not actually my own agenda, having grown up in, and worked for, Big Oil myself, but I toss this one in as a nod to all the treehuggers up here in the NW--I'm with you in most ways, but not on this one. If you don't like how much profit the oil companies are making, then buy their stock and participate in the profits! It's a hedge against rising gasoline prices; smart.)

Let's hope many other car companies will follow this approach. Let's see a wide range of plug-in hybrid vehicles!

Big question: Will your employer let you run an extension cord to the car? At $0.20 per recharge, it's not asking too much of your company. Bravo to Toyota! Where can I sign up? And what does this have to do with wine? Well, of course, you can carry your wines home without using any gasoline at all! Leaving you more money to buy good wine!