One of the biggest gripes I hear in the US about fully electric cars is that they aren’t practical because they don’t have enough range. But, what’s strange about this is, according to the 2001 US Department of Transportation National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), the average person drives their personal vehicle less than 23 miles a day—a number that is more than sufficiently covered by the 100-mile range of most upcoming mass-market electric cars.

So, if the average person drives a quarter of the distance an electric car is capable of going in a given day, why do people still say that they aren’t practical? It certainly isn’t a feeling based in how people actually use their cars. No, it’s more of a feeling based on our obsession with risk aversion—trying to avoid potential problems even if those problems don’t crop up during 95% of the rest of our lives.

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I spent the first night of my summer vacation in a bed-and-breakfast in Toronto with my family.  (Yes, I blogged while on vacation.  That’s what happens when free wireless is available everywhere and you have obsessive-compulsive disorder.)  We drove from Chicago in our Toyota Camry.  It’s not exactly a Prius, but while averaging about 30 MPG, we had a smaller carbon footprint than we would if the three of us traveled by plane.  We brought most of our own meals and snacks in reusable containers, printed out travel and maps on previously used paper, and reused our water bottles.  So we thought we were being green.  But a morning walk around Toronto made us feel only light green, at best.

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest submission from John Addison, Publisher of the Clean Fleet Report.

After bicycling for 152 miles in 6 hours and 23 minutes in Beijing’s smoggy air, the gold medal was determined by a fraction of a second.

Spain’s Samuel Sanchez willed a supreme effort to out-sprint the world’s great riders like David Rebellin and Fabian Cancellara. Although Sanchez could ignore pain and exhaustion during the 152 miles, he could not hold back his tears while listening to Spain’s national anthem being played in recognition for his gold medal victory.

Fifty-seven million U.S. citizens ride a bicycle, at least, on occasion. Over one billion globally use bicycles, famously including millions in our Olympic host nation. For all of us “Everyday Olympians,” the pace is gentle as we enjoy exercise and fresh air. For some of us, the bicycle is a practical part of our commuting and reaching other destinations.

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Helmet? Check. Water bottle? Got it. Metro bus pass when we poop out halfway to work? You bet your aching glutes. Today’s the day many Californians bike the walk and not just talk the talk. It’s Bike to Work Week 2008, and boy, do we need it.

In its thirteenth year, California’s Bike to Work Week officially encourages bicycling as the best form of transportation to decrease traffic congestion and improve air quality (and unofficially, to reduce obesity and try to stick it to the big oil companies). Thousands of cyclists are expected to participate statewide, and several cities are providing bike-friendly pit stops with snacks, maps, and discount coupons. In Los Angeles, bicyclists can already ride for free (all year long) on any Metro bus or light rail as long as they have their bike or helmet with them. (I do wonder about riders who just carry their helmets onto the bus or train, picturing their Schwinn in a twisted heap on the side of Sunset Boulevard.)

For more info, check out californiabikecommute.com.

Photo courtesy of Gyre via Wikimedia Commons.

Publisher's Note: Look at the date this was written before getting too mad at Patrick.

After giving it considerable thought over the past few months, I decided to stop walking to work.

I don’t live terribly far from my job (just a few blocks, in fact), and so when I first accepted the job, I make the decision to walk to work each day. But I’ve been finding myself late to work many days, because of the time-consuming walk from my house to here. I often find my self departing my house at almost 9:00AM, rather than getting in at 9:00AM, and as a result I have to stay late, and work into my evenings.

Driving to work, I have found, also has its benefits. It gives me time to relax, to think about my day ahead and prioritize things. It also gives me time to reflect, on the mellow drive home, and listen to my favorite NPR programming. I can crank up the heat on cold days, to keep myself warm; or turn the AC on when it inevitably gets hot (as it does for about 5 months in the desert). No more sweating for this guy!

In addition, ExxonMobil has decided to help people commute to work! If you sign a pledge saying that you will drive your car to and back from work each day, Exxon will plant a tree in one of their oil fields. These will provide much-needed shade to oil drilling workers, and beautify the lands that we extract our oil from. That will make everyone feel good!

I’m looking forward to the freedom I’m going to gain by driving to work. Freeing up extra time in my day, saving myself from being a sweat mess after walking for five minutes, and a tree planted in my name… what could be better! Here’s to the driving life!

UPDATE: April Fools!