Felix Kramer, founder of the California Cars
Initiative, a nonprofit group that promotes the
use of high-efficiency, low-emission cars, owns
the first consumer plug-in in North America – a
Prius equipped with high-end, lithium-ion batteries.

Not surprisingly, he loves it. “Many days I use
no gasoline, because I go at neighborhood speeds
for under 30 miles, and I’m just all-electric all
day,” he says. “And that means it’s quiet.

“I resent when the gasoline engine comes on,”
Kramer adds. At speeds over 34 mph in the Toyota,
the gasoline engine kicks in. Even so, “At 55
mph, 60% to 70% of the power can come from
electricity,” he says, so the machine is still saving gas.

And the mileage? “At highway speeds, you can
easily get over 100 mpg, plus electricity.” Other
plug-in owners offer up similar results.

“I used to fill up every 400 miles or so,” he
says of life with a regular Prius, “and now I
fill up every 800 miles or so.” His car is
emblazoned with the words “100+MPG.” “I have a
lot of conversations at the gas station,” he says.

Since they’re usually plugged in at night, when
electricity rates are lowest, advocates estimate
that it costs less than $1 per gallon to
replenish a plug-in hybrid. If gasoline costs $3
a gallon, driving most gasoline cars costs
roughly 8 to 20 cents per mile, CalCars
estimates. The cost of a plug-in hybrid for local
travel and commuting drops to 2 to 4 cents per mile, the group says.