Little did I know when I cracked open the pages of this 231-page book (US$16.95/Can$18.95) that I’d be getting more than I bargained for. For not only did I learn tons about the current state of plug-in hybrids and their electric car brother's history, I got to meet people who have been working to make sure that there’ll (hopefully soon) be plug-in hybrids on every dealer lot. In this topsy-turvy tale that takes the reader into the behind-the-scenes happenings in the automotive and political spectrum, there are first-hand accounts from Chelsea Sexton (the EV1 activist who worked for GM), Felix Kramer (lead the first group of engineers to build Prius plug-ins), and R. James Woolsey (former CIA director). Their common goals: to make sure plug-in hybrids make it into the hands of common everyday folks. To make sure the next generation of electric vehicles doesn’t end up crushed like GM’s EV1s. And to straighten out the political hogwash that might have us all waiting for the elusive and expensive hydrogen economy.
The premise: Electricity is available here and now, and plug-in hybrids can be a reality that will save money, slash pollution and reduce America’s dependence upon oil. And Boschert certainly knows her stuff. She writes: “The US has 4% of the world’s population but contributes 22% of man-made greenhouse gases to Earth’s atmosphere … Since we started burning fossil fuels in the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric CO2 has climbed 35%. The 10 warmest years since the time of the Vikings all happened since the mid-1990s, and 2005 was the hottest year on record. On average, the world is one degree warmer than usual, but the polar areas are warming twice as fast as elsewhere … If we don’t reduce carbon pollution, we’re likely to reach a tipping point that could change Europe into another ice age, desiccate Africa in droughts, and disrupt ecosystems around the world.”
It’s heavy stuff. It’s important stuff. And it’s definitely reading that should be required in every high school across the country. Not to mention colleges and grad schools. Plug-in Hybrids is compelling and well written and is a powerful call to action for all of us. Boschert ends the eleven chapter book with a list of actionable items that could definitely change the world we live in—but only if we, as responsible and caring Earth-dwellers, actually find time on our busy to-do lists to do them—like calling major manufacturers and telling them we want the option of buying a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle. So let’s get busy, America—let’s let ‘em know what we want. After all, that’s one thing Americans excel at. --Christine
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