Justin emailed me the other day in response to my recent post about becoming a father again. His email yielded a pretty specific response and triggered this post. My wife and I recently moved to be closer to family and have to figure out whether we can maintain the single car lifestyle in our new surroundings. If not, we may have to buy another car (not ideal, but potentially necessary). Here’s the rundown of the back and forth between Justin and me:
I said that our next car, if we have to get one (as opposed to the bus and bike trailer) would be electric. Justin’s suggestion was “at least a hybrid.”
I can’t do it. I won’t get a hybrid, I know they’re seen in a way as a bridge to the next generation of personal transportation, but I guess I’m just impatient. Here was my exact response:
Not going to do a hybrid. I’m sick of being tethered to the gas pump. I’d rather be tethered to the electrical cord and really produce the electricity in house. I’m done with relying on others, it’s time to be self-sufficient.
Even after Toyota’s announcement that they will scale back on production of their mini-electric car, I am resolute in my position. They have doubled down on hybrids, I’m doubling down on electric. We have a gas powered car that we can use for longer, more complicated trips. However, I’m looking to the future, not to the past. Electrified transport is the future. A longer battery life would be preferable, but even the first internal combustion vehicles were lacking, with top speeds that pale to what we have today.
However, I will strike this conciliatory note: I will consider a plug-in hybrid. If we use the car almost exclusively for taking our kids to daycare, going to work, and the occasional trip to the megamart, then I can claim a small victory by not filling up at the pump.
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