2 weeks ago, I went to an alternative fuel vehicle show in Santa Monica, CA. The highlight of the show was an all-electric car, called the "Coda" that went on sale this year. It has a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the lithium battery. It will travel 129 miles, in the city, between charges. It takes about 5 hours for a complete charge and costs 30k out the door after incentives.

The worst contestant was the fuel cell vehicles that run on hydrogen. One was made by Mercedes Benz (Chrysler-Daimler) and cannot be purchase, only leased for $389 a month. These cars still do not have an infrastructure in place to fuel them. I see these vehicles as being too costly and impossible to refuel without a great expense to build fueling stations.

Best bet was propane powered trucks and vans. Propane has been around for almost 100 years and has a proven track record. Here in L.A., the largest school district in the country, LAUSD, operates propane-powered school buses. The district buys their propane in bulk for less than a dollar a gallon!

Food for thought,

greaseguy