Chris Paine General Motors EV1	Ward Paine Honda EV PLUS
The EV1 rocks. The dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree when you turn on the car and then dims into a peaceful "Ground Control to Major Tom" readiness. This readiness becomes the daily commute, trips around town, and jaunts into Hollywood or downtown LA in the evening. For the commute, I cruise from my public beach lot on Pacific Coast Highway to Internet Outfitters in Santa Monica where my charger is installed. The ritual is still as fun as ever. Keyless entry, the activation code, the light show, and the electric whir as I pull out and join high speed traffic. Electric cars have maximum torque at "0" miles an hour and the EV1 translates this to 30 mph in 3 seconds, and to 60 or 80 mph almost as quickly. Once off the freeway I coast down side streets and into my parking space - recapturing energy with regenerative brakes. I get most of the charge I need from the 220V Edison charger in 45 minutes. Full charge is 3 hours. There are also many places to charge around town. Ralphs Grocery up the street has two chargers right in front. On a recent day both were in use, and two more cars were waiting. In the "old days" (last month) this was unheard of - which is part of the fun. There are many benefits to my experience. First, I really enjoy talking with all the enlightened or curious people. Everyone has a question. This includes beach-goers, business people, environmentalists, family groups, attractive singles (how about a drive...), and even homeless people. In downtown LA last week, a man with a cart asked detailed questions about the power train. Second, I think about energy and driving in a new way. In the first weeks I was pre-occupied with how much distance I could go before the next charge. Measured acceleration and braking can almost double one's range. These thoughts become less worrisome with experience and you gain an appreciation for how much energy there is in gasoline (even though it is non-renewable and pollutes) and how much energy is wasted by most cars. Of course, I admit to owning a spare truck to handle long hauls and multiple passengers.	My first weeks of driving the Honda EV PLUS have been a ball.The way I live, work and drive, the amount of charge left in the vehicle has never been an issue. That was a surprise. I live 7 miles from my work and most trips are less than 20 miles during the day. The novelty of owning an EV remains, but Honda has designed their EV to be so "familiar" to new drivers that occasionally I forget I am in an EV. Two first impressions that I did not expect. I find I am speeding faster than I want to drive: 48mph in a 35 zone, 71mph is a downpour on a freeway. I think it is the lack of mechanical noise, engine strain, and gear shifting that deceive me to think I am going slower. Second, at a street light, it is dead quiet. You can hear lots of things you never heard before - like the conversations of the neighboring car occupants, the engine noise of idling cars beside you. It is different.