I didn’t realize I was in for a treat when that crazy SUV-driving soccer mom slammed into my car in the parking lot after Spanish camp.  Not that I’m judging.  After all, I drive a Toyota 4-Runner, have two spirited preschoolers, and have been called crazy more than once.  But I’m trying to mend my careless ways by living a little lighter on the planet, hoping to do my small part for mankind in the process. With the 4-Runner in the body shop, I’m enjoying a new opportunity to be eco-friendly with my fabulous rental car: the 3^rd Generation hybrid-electric Toyota Prius.

 I still remember test-driving the first generation Prius.   Back in 2000, I was just beginning to respond to a desire to protect the environment.  But as much as I wanted to conserve resources to protect the habitats of the wildlife I loved, my convictions weren’t strong enough for me to stomach driving that strange little sub-compact matchbox of a car.  Somehow over the past decade, my eco-enthusiasm has evolved into a full-blown passion, and I’m excited to report that the Prius has come a long way, too.  Now in its tenth year, this car is NOTHING if not cool.

Meet my new best friend.  No, it’s not Evan Wyly, the Chairman of the Board of Green Mountain Energy (although he’s a very nice guy).  It’s his car: the incomparable Tesla Roadster.  Although my affair with this car was short-lived, I still can’t shake the memory (alas, my ’98 Toyota 4-Runner just doesn’t look the same).  But don’t go thinking I’m shallow.  Let me assure you, this isn’t about looks; it’s what inside that counts.  Or in this case, what’s under the hood: an all-electric motor. 

I’ve been looking at EVs for the past year.  Thanks to my client Evatran, the manufacturers of Plugless Power, the world’s first cordless electric vehicle charging infrastructure, I was treated to a ride in BMW’s Electric Mini-E.  No golf cart, this chic battery-powered, 2-seater sports car has helped advance the technology and build a market capable of taking the electric vehicle mainstream.  Indeed, Nissan’s Leaf and GM’s Volt wouldn’t be possible without the pioneers that came before them. But the Tesla is in a league of its own.  Driven by the likes of George Clooney, the Roadster is the electric car of the stars.