Electric car craze

WILMINGTON — Jerry Asher is dedicated to spreading the word about plugging in your car rather than filling it up. “Paying four, five, six dollars a gallon or plugging in 60, 70 cents gas gallon equivalent?” he said. Asher recently converted his Toyota Prius Hybrid to a plug-in hybrid, which he said allows him to run off the battery longer than with a regular Prius Hybrid.

Asher said charging the car’s battery for a few hours will get him 15 miles, which he said could be enough to get someone to and from work each day. He said, “In North Carolina we say we’re clean and green, but we want clean and green, sustainable, and electric.”

Asher made a stop in Wilmington as part of his 50-state tour, mainly sponsored by the Electric Vehicle Association. He’s educating people about their vehicle options. While here he met with members of the local Electric Vehicle Assoication chapter, including Bouty Baldridge.

“Driving all electric is definitely a challenge because you have a limited amount of electrons that you’re able to store. Battery technology is changing very, very quickly and that might not be as much of an issue in the future,” said Baldridge.

Baldridge has two electric cars and two hybrids. “It’s very quiet and it’s very smooth, and I just love driving it,” he said.

Asher claims to be able to get one-hundred miles per gallon for thirty minute increments in his plug-in hybrid.

The group “Plug-In America” encourages charging electric cars at night when electric rates are cheaper. According to the group, it takes less than a dollar to charge a plug-in hybrid and two to four dollars for an all-electric car.