Write Team: Goodbye Buick, hello plug-in hybrid

Last November I gave away my last Buick and bought my son’s Ford hybrid. He’s living outside the country without a car.

I started buying full size high mileage Buicks in the 80s. Each was powered by the same 3.8 liter V-6 gas engine. General Motors sold more than 25 million cars with that engine from 1975-2008. Many thought it was the best engine General Motors ever made, and that they were nuts to discontinue it. The primary reason? Bad gas mileage.

I drove those Buicks with no regard for gas consumption. Buicks were comfortable, a great ride on a road trip and reliable. The best thing? No car payments.

My new (used) car is a 2014 Ford C-Max Energi. It was sold in the U.S. between 2013 and 2018. Like Toyota’s Prius and other hybrid vehicles, it uses regenerative technology to capture the energy created by braking and stores it in the car’s battery to improve gas mileage.

But in addition, the C-Max has two engines, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine paired with a battery powered electric motor. When the battery is fully charged, my small hatchback takes me 19 miles using zero gas. When the battery runs out, it switches to gas automatically. I plug into a 110-volt outlet every time I pull in the garage. It’s a habit, like plugging in my phone.

I made the change because I want to burn less fossil fuel. I’m aware that is only a tiny contribution to our planet’s well-being but it’s something I can do. My biggest disappointment with both presidential campaigns, among many, is the existential threat of climate change has been discussed so little. If we make the wrong leadership choice, we reverse progress made in the last four years. The U.S. should lead the world in finding solutions to overheating our planet. Instead, we risk denying they exist.

I got the Ford plug-in on Nov. 6 last year and filled the gas tank that day. I didn’t fill it again till the third week of January. I never imagined one tank lasting that long. I think I may be able to get by on five fill ups a year. Now I wave as I drive past Thorntons. I miss the hot dogs though.

My life is extremely local. I live in Fields Hill on the north side of Ottawa and shop close to home: haircuts at Great Clips, groceries at the northside Kroger, fun at Verilife. Most of my other needs are met at Farm and Fleet. If they don’t have it, you probably don’t need it.

I’m drawn downtown by my church, Open Table and the YMCA. The new Y puts me even closer to three of my favorite businesses, Handy Foods, La Mexicana and the liquor store. My wife and I sometimes splurge at local restaurants and visit ice cream joints wherever they pop up. (FYI, Ottawa now has gelato near the Beach House.)

Describing that small circle of stops makes my life look small. I am retired, and it’s a short walk to the shack. If I were working at my old job, I’d be driving out of town for meetings (or would they be on Zoom?) My wife and I have two cars. When we travel long distances we take her gas-powered Chevy Equinox. To get to Chicago, we drive to the Metra station in Joliet, take the train to La Salle Street and Uber from there.

When the roof on our house wears out, which will happen soon, I want to explore solar panels. And if feasible, I’d like to put a high voltage charger in the garage for a fully electric vehicle with an extended travel range. Someone besides me will value that. It’s the future, I think, if there is going to be a future for our grandkids. We owe it to them to solve this problem.

Dave McClure lives in Ottawa. He is a long-retired director of a local private agency. He is also a blogger. You can read more of Dave at Daveintheshack.blogger.com