When 94 Freakin' MPG Isn't Enough
If you're super, uber green and clearly competing for the Miss Greenest in The Whole Wide World title, that silly Prius and it's paltry 94MPG (2009) just isn't enough for you. And you're far too feisty to do time on some Prius waiting list. You want more. You want 188 MPG, damn it and those crafty after-market entrepreneurs know it.
There are now after-market kits that can turn your old gas-guzzler into a lean, green converted machine nearly doubling the gas mileage of the aforementioned Prius. "Rad!" you say. "What's the catch?" The kicker is that the kits cost as much as $10,000. But let me repeat: it doubles the gas mileage of the Prius, which is just ridiculously neat.
Here's what the kits do: They tweak your car's current battery system to convert your fossil fuel sucking ve-hickle into a plug-in hybrid electric car that recharges simply by plugging it into a wall outlet.
According to THESE GUYS: "Battery companies are ready to start selling after-market kits within the next few months that convert hybrids, and in some cases regular vehicles, into plug-in electric cars...Even if electricity costs as much as 15 cents per kilowatt hour, fully charging the 5 kilowatt-hour battery to run up to 40 miles would cost less than a dollar."
And seriously, I just paid $4.89 for REGULAR EFFING GAS to put in my tiny car, which incidentally already gets 40 MPG. What's next? I open a vein?
For what it's worth, if I had the $10K it would be worth the initial output for the kit to immediately cut emissions and eventually it wouldn't be long at the current prices to make that cash back in the gas I saved.
To read all about the technical specifics, kit merchants and car talk, check THIS or THIS out.
About this blog
Roxanne Kotzman is a Daily News Photo Department veteran of nine years. When she and longtime friend Stacy Long
discovered their love all of all things environmentally responsible, they launched Happy Monkey Planet and jumped head-first into the vibrant eco-community.
Wow, so much to learn! But initially the idea is a pretty simple one: Let's change the world through information, education and action.
Rox & Stacy are a lot like you: ecologically minded but sometimes just plain overwhelmed when charged with the task of making a far-reaching difference in the environment. They have jobs, families, homes, lives and pets.
But what if doing better was a simple as a light-bulb change, a reusable canvas grocery bag, recycling that soda can or a cold-water wash?
These eco-chicks just hope to have a little fun, learn a little more, share a lot of information and maybe make the planet a happier, greener, cleaner place.
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