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Toyota at work on commercial plug-in hybrids, Mitsubishi to offer electric car

Call me an optimist, but a feasible plug-in appears to be just over the horizon.

First, Toyota has several plug-in Priuses being driven in Japan to collect data -- technical and human behavioral. They are sticking with NiMH batteries for now.

Next, Honda is finally getting ready to launch the much-needed Prius alternative. There are a lot of people out there who refuse to buy a Prius for various reasons that would be alleviated with a serious competitor that is not only cheaper, but just as distinctive looking.*

Finally, Mitsubishi will sell an electric car next year called the i-MiEV (sport version seen here) that uses an advanced battery being developed by Mitsubishi Motors, GS Yuasa Ltd., and Mitsubishi Trading Co. The significance of this announcement is that they must now have a battery that can be charged and discharged to within 80 percent of its capacity, which will also last the life of the car. It still has limited range, and I suspect will primarily be used for around town errands -- fulfilling the role of second car for urban families. Although it won't be cheap, the hatchback version will hold four people, and both versions look sharp.

*I recently listened to a book called Differentiate or Die by Jack Trout. Although the book is all about marketing, not evolutionary selective pressures, this marketing maxim wouldn't work if humans didn't have an urge to differentiate. I'm sure it's got something to do with attracting mates, sex, and genes using that combination to propel themselves into the future; Marketing fulfills that drive.

EPA and Florida sucking at Everglades cleanup, says judge

Florida and the U.S. EPA have been skewered by a federal judge for their Everglades cleanup efforts (or rather, lack thereof). In 2003, Florida pushed back a deadline for reducing […]

Snippets from the news

• Princeton Review ranks greenest colleges. • Giant chunk snaps off largest Arctic ice shelf. • Seattle will charge 20 cents for bags. • Schwarzenegger vetoes bill to add climate […]

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens indicted over dodgy dealings with oil-services firm

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens — the longest-serving Republican in the Senate and a longtime thorn in the side of enviros — was indicted today. A federal grand jury in Washington, […]

Congress agrees on product-safety bill banning phthalates, lowering lead in toys

The U.S. House and Senate have agreed to a compromise product-safety bill that would ban phthalates from children’s toys, lower toy lead levels, and require third-party safety testing before toys […]

Why flying sux

Ever wondered why air travel sucks so bad these days? Chris Hayes, D.C. editor at The Nation, asked a source inside the industry. The answer is fascinating. You’ll not be […]

Snippets from the news

• Alliance of black churches speaks out on climate change. • Beijing may ban 90 percent of cars to clear air for Olympics. • Gulf dead zone second-largest ever. • […]

Feds lambasted for neglecting cleanup of abandoned mines

Thousands of abandoned mines across the U.S. West pose hazards to the public, according to a strongly worded audit from the Interior Department inspector general. The Bureau of Land Management’s […]

Wildlife so far largely safe from Mississippi River oil spill

Louisiana wildlife have so far largely escaped harm from the oil spill that shut down 100 miles of the Mississippi River last week. But biologists remain nervous as the oil […]

Friday music blogging: Duffy

It’s a testament to how silly pop culture gets that there’s been a bit of controversy swirling around Duffy, the UK phenom who went from Spin’s “who’s next” to Spin’s […]