Alternative fuel times two: a plug-in electric vehicle

It’s not exactly one competitor stealing another’s thunder. It is, however, an intriguing melding of alternative automotive technologies.

Debuting today is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Reading between the lines there, that’s an electric car that has been converted into one that plugs into the wall. A company out of Colorado created a next-generation version of high-power lithium ion batteries that are stored in the vehicle’s trunk. The combination of those batteries with an existing petroleum/electric hybrid has resulted in a PHEV, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

The ultimate result will be a car that maybe never has to fire up the gas engine. If you’re just commuting to work or running errands, you can use the electric functions and then plug into the wall when you get home.

Emissions level on a trip like that: 0.