Getting to know an electric-car activist

This profile on San Francisco activist Marc Geller serves an excellent expression of the feelings, emotions and obsessions associated with electric-car advocates.

Geller wanted a "cool" car to replace his quirky Citroen and leased the Ford Th!nk. He lost the vehicle when Ford dropped its electric division and pulled all the Th!nks off the road to be crushed. Geller then became active in dontcrush.com and helped launch Plug In America.

Geller says owning an electric vehicle changed his outlook on energy use. He installed solar panels on his roof to help recharge his current vehicle, a Toyota RAV4 electric.

Geller is concerned that the large environmental organizations are slow to back the electric-vehicle movement. A quote from a Sierra Club official says the group is committed to improving fuel efficiency and that electric vehicles are less appealing in states where the grid is "dirty."

Geller claims the trade-offs are in favor of electric cars. He sees electric plants getting cleaner and stresses the need to reduce oil dependency. And, when you get to the end of the story, you'll discover he doesn't want to contribute to Dick Cheney's "retirement fund."

[Source: New America Media]