Updating In Praise of Plug-In Vehicles, our mileage after two months with the Chevy Volt is 101 miles per gallon (2.3L/100km for the metric-minded). That included four drives of 350 miles and one drive of 250 miles during which the car runs from electricity only for the first 45 to 50 miles (70+ km), after which it runs from gasoline.

And in response to those who e-mailed warnings that electric vehicles are a bad idea in a world with an imminent EMP event: even though I have made the gesture–because it’s so easy to do–of storing my backup generator and other small backup electronics in a Faraday cage, I do not consider a devastating EMP event to be likely. As stated before, what I detect is accelerating evolution, with likely supply line disruptions. That is what I see, so that is what I plan for. I see no evidence of an impending planetary reset event. With humanity about to reap the full consequences of its good and bad decisions about finance, governance, war, health care, pollution, overuse of resources, taxation, energy, communications, etc., the conditions on this planet are perfect for humanity to learn how to live and how not to live. I think humanity will benefit mightily from this ingenious setup. Let’s see if we can.