Electric Car

The choices are limited. When D and I decided to go look at a Prius while outside on vacation, the trip to town took us through a small ski town that had advertised a low mileage, bi-turbo, Quatro with 6 speed manual transmission. I had to drive it. That was a mistake. While the mileage was our first concern with the rising cost of fuel, there are reasons enough to want 4W drive in Alaska, and for us, 4% grade with switch-backs to our home on top of the hill, the 6 speed transmission holds unusual appeal. The problem is not a lack of power or appropriate gear to climb the hill but in having the right gear to hold us back coming down. It’s a brake job once a year. That was the excuse. The result was of course after driving that magnificent bi-turbo Quatro the Prius felt tentative and a bit unstable, so we are still looking.

The criteria for us now including: electric or some combination for economy better than 40 MPG shortens the field. Make that a small car for shopping, regenerative brakes for the hill and some mechanical sophistication and the list grows shorter yet. None have it all. What I would really like would include: 3 cylinder diesel or ceramic turbine to back up an electric 4W drive or a fuel cell to accomplish the same.
Toyota RAV4 EV, now out of production. A few may be for resale in California.
Prius, for obvious reasons.
Honda Civic, hybrid.
VW Beetle TDI DSG
The Ford Hybrid does not have the mileage
Neither does the Jeep Liberty
And then there is that 400 horsepower Quatro with 6 speed shift.
The Mini-Cooper actually makes the list at this point.
All but one is satisfactorily economical. I come away liking the Beetle largely for it’s advanced trany and diesel. The all electric Toyota would be a find. Why can’t we have our cake and eat it too.