Have you had the experience of driving/charging a Hybrid yet?

Well, it seems that the EV plugs are being installed across the country to charge any hybrid that hits the roads. This is an example of how to use one.

One place the EV plug is installed is the Whole Foods Markets. All you have to do is to pull into a parking spot marked “EV charging only” and pull your cell phone out. As you look at the Charge point Station, it has an LED display that blinks above a metal panel. It is not real obvious as to what to do next with the exception of a toll free number that is on the post. So give it a try!

A Customer Service Representative answers and asks for your name, phone number, location and e-mail. The e-mail is for identification when you call back in to end the charge. Once all of the questions are answered, you will hear a click. Just lift the panel, plug in your car, and go shopping.

Now it takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to get a full charge on the go. So if you come back early, you can certainly call, unplug and boogie.

On the Toyota Prius, a full charge is capable of traveling 13 miles at a maximum highway speed of 60 mph on lithium-ion battery power. After the 13 miles, it converts to utilizing the gas engine. So, Toyota is bragging that this car gets 50 miles per gallon. This car will be out on the market next year. Are you reserving yours yet? As you can tell, it does not matter what type of hybrid you will own, the plugs will be universal.

Once you get home, you can plug it into your standard wall plug (110 volts) and it will take 3 hours to charge. However, if you plug it into a 220 volt outlet, it takes half the time.

The cost to your electric bill will be only 33 cents if your electricity provided runs about $0.11 per kilowatt hour. This is a cost that can be absorbed by most households. Even in a week, the cost is a little more than a dollar menu item at M C Donnells.

With the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, and the Honda Fit, there are many options to choose from within your price range. Most will be at your dealership sometime in 2012.

As for the EV stations, there have been 4600 posts funded by the DOE for across the nation. They are also making sure that you can find them via online. Maybe even some of the super apps for your phone. For now, they are free to use. It seems to me that these hybrids will be pretty simple to drive, charge and/or own.

… as the green future unfolds.

On a sadder note, my partner in crime passed away last week due to the most unfortunate circumstances that are too much to explain here. Anyway, may the good Lord take care of this most loving, humorous, intelligent and empathetic human being I have ever known and will be sorely missed! Thank you to all who have been coming by looking for a new post. Thanks to Theresa who has kept Forced Green alive while I was gone.

In my quest to continue finding items of interest I believe Linda would love to see posted during her absence, I came across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and it’s Solar Decathlon’s solar power housing submission from Team China.

Solar Powered Housing Simple Affordable

The U.S. DOE “contest” poses the question, “How to design, build and operate solar powered housing” with emphasis on cost effectiveness and energy efficiency, all the while being pleasing to look at and live in.

Team China has stepped up to the plate addressing the affordability question with excellent, potential results.

As you can see by the video, their solar powered housing provides plenty of outdoor living area, collects and filters rainwater for personal use, all the while using energy efficient, super insulating materials. Their solar power housing naturally ventilates itself and is most definitely a “sustainable design.”

Now to Get Team China’s Solar Powered Housing to Washington

The next step that is vital to competing will be for Team China to disassemble their six recycled shipping containers and get their entry to Washington. This should be a breeze for their team since, conveniently enough, their solar powered housing Y shape use of shipping containers makes for a super simple shipping solution.

Linda has been writing about the production of an air car as early as 2008. Earlier this week, I received an email from a friend (since Linda is still away) that just seems ideal for a post here at Forcedgreen. So… while our hover cars might not make it to the assembly line, see what I received regarding the upcoming (potential? real?) production of the Air Car out of India:

Tata Motors in India is ready to introduce Air Car. Will it be the next big thing? Tata Motors is taking giant strides and making history for itself. First the Land Rover/Jaguar deal, then the world’s cheapest car, and now it is also set to introduce the car that runs on compressed air.

Air Car Production Can’t Come Soon Enough

With spiraling fuel prices it is about time we heard some breakthrough!

India’s largest automaker, Tata Motors, is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle.

The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy N. for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by August 2011.

Air Car Costs

The Air Car, called the “MiniCAT” could cost around Rs. 3,475,225 (US $8,177.00) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels.

The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 (US $2.00)

The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued, not welded, and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators, etc.

There are no keys – just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100 Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where 80% of motorists drive at less than 60 Km. The car has a top speed of 105 Kmph.

Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the air car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers.

Linda is still taking care of a family emergency, so I’m stepping in to keep things moving here at Forcedgreen until she returns and I’m about to tell you about Stormageddon.

The other night I watched Stormageddon on NatGeo. It is set to repeat itself on June 4 at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time most likely). I would highly recommend you take the time to watch this profound documentary!

Historic snows and bitter cold across North America. Massive floods in Australia and Pakistan. Deadly mudslides in Brazil. Epic drought and wildfires in Russia. 2010 was one of the most destructive years in history. Now, Explorer presents the dramatic images of this catastrophic weather year — and introduces the people who risked their lives to capture them on film. – Explorer, Stormageddon, National Geographic Channel

Stormageddon is unlike any program you’ve seen to date.

This documentary goes above and beyond the idea of “global warming” digging deep into the reasons why weather and climate changes are escalating at what many find an alarming pace.

CO2, Methane, Water Vapor and More Explored on Stormageddon

70 foot tall walls of water, Alabama’s “perfect storm” and the most recent series of tornados (double the highest record to date) are just a few of the moments explored in the topic of climate change and the impact of global warming.

You’ll be surprised, perhaps, to learn that while CO2 plays a part, it is by far only one tiny aspect of what is going on and why things are happening more and more frequently.

It is with hope that Linda returns soon (she’s so much better at this than I am), but in the meantime do not miss Stormageddon – this one’s a definite “must watch” for every planetary citizen!