Maybe you don't personally want to ever buy a hybrid or gas-electric VOLT or other atlernative vehicle.   But if  OTHER people switch to alternative fuel vehicles, the demand for gas will go down.  You don't have to change your car personally to benefit from a reduction in the number of cars running on gasoline overall.

I don't believe in man-made global warming, but I AM TIRED OF SENDING HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO OUR ENEMIES and funding hostile action against ourselves.

The new GM VOLT will have a 40 mile range on a charged battery, but will also have a gas engine that can switch on to recharge the electric battery to extend its range.

I know what some say:  You are still using energy either way.  But I do think that charging off the electric grid (a) allows for more efficient power generation in central, larger, more sophisticated power plants than having every vehicle have its own, small engine, and (b) electricity can be generated from a much wider variety of energy sources, including coal, biomass, etc., etc.  So we are not limited to gasoline from the Middle East or Venezuela.

However, truth is, most people 90% of the time just drive their car to and from work commuting from home to work.   Most people don't drive over 40 miles in a day, if their commuting distance is reasonable.

STILL.....    By installing electric outlets and/or cables in the parking spaces of parking garages, we could DOUBLE  this range.  When someone drives to work, they can plug in, and their car will charge all day long, while they are working, and while their car is just sitting.

Most parking garages are not government.

However, the government can lead the way and show the example, and set the tone.  If people know that the service is available at municipal parking garages, then demand might slowly build for this at other parking installations as well.

Virginia might even consider making grants or loans available to encourage the conversion, or propose that Federal money be made available to assist in conversions.

Since users should pay for the electricity, at a profit, a loan that can be paid back would be appropriate.

Naturally, the user of electricity should pay extra.

Perhaps a control box on each floor could be put on the wall allowing a person to key in the parking space they are in and then insert a credit card, paper money, or coins to pay for the use of the electricity and that would switch on the electric line for the parking space they are in.

Or maybe a switch on the wall in hte parking space could be controlled by a key.  A parking customer who wants to also charge up can pay an extra fee and get a key or an unlock code or something.

 Of course the GM VOLT is not scheduled to be sold until 2010.  However, government planning and installation may take several years for this to be implemented.  So we should be preparitng for these new cars and be ready for them.