In the future I’d like to have an electric vehicle, or a hybrid biodiesel/electric. Right now we’re planning to get our first car – ever – and there is a lot to learn. Up until now we’ve managed by walking or using public transportation. Once in a great while we’ve rented a car for a vacation or a truck for moving. I’ve driven a variety of cars, trucks and vans for work but that has been infrequent as well. Last year for about four months I drove a van daily between two work sites but I still walked to the first site to pick up the van and then walked home after I returned it. At the moment we are close enough to my job that walking is a reasonable alternative.
Later this year, however, we’re planning to buy a house with a little land – one to five acres. Given the housing prices around here our initial homestead is likely to be too far to walk or ride a bike. If that is the case we’re going to need a car. But I’ve been thinking of going with a diesel vehicle and using biodiesel. Ideally we’d end up making our own at home. There are challenges to this plan. Many of the vehicles are either a) older and prone to problems, or b) newer and more expensive than I would like to spend. I’m not sure which way we’ll go. I may end up going for an inexpensive gas car with good gas mileage that I can later convert to an electric vehicle.
