At Christmastime, in the noble tradition of proud parents everywhere, I unloaded — I mean, generously donated — my 2009 Honda Fit to my college-student son.

That gesture wasn’t pure, heart-warming nobility; I wanted a new car. Specifically, an electric car.

I don’t know if you’re aware of how juicy the deals are on these things. Obviously, the main reason you’d get one is because they’re much better for the environment. (Yes, they run on electricity, which still requires burning some fossil fuels to generate — but the impact of electric cars is drastically lower than gas cars.)

But even if you don’t care about being green, an EV (electric vehicle) still get you all of this:

A tax credit from the Federal government. That’s not a tax deduction, which lowers your income before you calculate the tax. It’s a tax credit, which is money in your pocket after taxes. Depending on the car’s electric range, it’s up to $7,500.

That’s not a tax deduction, which lowers your income before you calculate the tax. It’s a tax credit, which is money in your pocket after taxes. Depending on the car’s electric range, it’s up to $7,500. Money back from the state. Forty-five states currently offer juicy EV incentives, usually cash. I live in Connecticut, where it’s $2,000. Nothing to do with taxes — it’s just a check they send you.

Forty-five states currently offer juicy EV incentives, usually cash. I live in Connecticut, where it’s $2,000. Nothing to do with taxes — it’s just a check they send you. You save tons of gas money. Electric-car owners never, ever pay for gas. Your electric bill goes up, of course, but you still come out ahead: You pay about $3.50 per 100 miles (electric) instead of $8 per 100 miles (gas), based on national averages.

Electric-car owners never, ever pay for gas. Your electric bill goes up, of course, but you still come out ahead: You pay about $3.50 per 100 miles (electric) instead of $8 per 100 miles (gas), based on national averages. Special parking places. My Connecticut town is more progressive than most, but it’s got dedicated electric-car parking spaces at the grocery, library, train stations, town hall, and so on. They’re right next to the handicap spaces, and each one has a charging station. (There are 36,000 of these free public charging stations in the U.S.) Free electricity while you’re shopping!

My Connecticut town is more progressive than most, but it’s got dedicated electric-car parking spaces at the grocery, library, train stations, town hall, and so on. They’re right next to the handicap spaces, and each one has a charging station. (There are 36,000 of these free public charging stations in the U.S.) Free electricity while you’re shopping! Drive alone in the carpool lane. Many states welcome EVs to the carpool (HOV) lane.

Many states welcome EVs to the carpool (HOV) lane. The brakes last, like, forever. When you brake, magnets capture your momentum and use it to recharge the battery, saving the brake pads.

When you brake, magnets capture your momentum and use it to recharge the battery, saving the brake pads. They ZOOM! An electric car has incredible torque (translation: instant acceleration). They are fun!

An electric car has incredible torque (translation: instant acceleration). They are fun! They’re silent. There’s no engine noise, obviously. You hear only a faint hum/whine when you put the pedal down. Your music sounds that much better.

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Of course, we all know why more people aren’t buying electric cars: range anxiety. Unless you’ve got something like a Tesla or a Chevy Bolt (over 200 miles on a charge), you’re limited in the drives you can take. And it’s not like you can pull into a station and refuel in five minutes. You have to plan your life around charging stops: lunch, overnight stays. It’s a hassle.

But here’s the point of this article: There is a way to get all the advantages of electric without the range anxiety: plug-in hybrids. (Geeks call them PHEVs, for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Man, they really need a catchier name.)

A plug-in hybrid is electric with a gas-engine backup. Once the big battery’s dead, the car becomes a regular hybrid, like a Prius or whatever. Amazingly, the gods of legislation have determined that these cars are entitled to all the same goodies that pure electrics are.

In a plug-in hybrid, you have two “fuel gauges” one each for battery charge (left) and gas level (right). More

You can plug in one of these cars into a standard power outlet in your garage, as you would a lamp or something; it charges overnight. Or you can install a 240-volt outlet, like the one for a washer or dryer; the car charges in a couple of hours. (Handily enough, public charging stations are 240V, too.)

There are lots of plug-in hybrid models. As a handy benefit, most of them are loaded with the latest autonomous safety features:

Lane keeping. If you start to drift out of the lane without your blinker on, the car warns you and guides you back into the lane.

If you start to drift out of the lane without your blinker on, the car warns you and guides you back into the lane. Collision avoidance. If you’re coming too fast toward a slowing car ahead, the car warns you and actually brakes for you to avoid a collision.

If you’re coming too fast toward a slowing car ahead, the car warns you and actually brakes for you to avoid a collision. Adaptive cruise control. You set a speed you want to maintain — let’s say 65 mph. At that point, the car speeds up and slows down (even stopping, if necessary) as necessary to avoid hitting the car in front of you. A button on the wheel controls how many car lengths you want your car to hang back.

You set a speed you want to maintain — let’s say 65 mph. At that point, the car speeds up and slows down (even stopping, if necessary) as necessary to avoid hitting the car in front of you. A button on the wheel controls how many car lengths you want your car to hang back. Self-parking. Well, sort of: The car turns the wheel for you, but you still have to manage the shift lever and gas/brake pedals.

Here’s the journal of my quest to buy the perfect plug-in hybrid family car — and why we wound up buying an obscure, no-name Honda in the end.

Prius Prime

My wife and I started with a test drive at the local Toyota dealership. Our other car is a Prius, which we’ve always loved. (If the Tesla 3 I ordered two years ago ever shows up, we’ll sell the Prius.)

Anyway, we liked the looks of the Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid. OK, we didn’t actually like the looks, but — you know.

The Prius Prime has a distinctive, polarizing look. More

Here’s what we loved about this car:

The price. The base model is $27,100. The Federal tax credit is $4,500 for this model. With the Connecticut kick-in, my final price would be $20,600.

The base model is $27,100. The Federal tax credit is $4,500 for this model. With the Connecticut kick-in, my final price would be $20,600. The hybrid MPG. You go 25 miles on pure electric; after that, the hybrid (gas-and-electric) mode gets an amazing 55 miles a gallon. Total range is 640 miles on one gas tank, which is extraordinary.

You go 25 miles on pure electric; after that, the hybrid (gas-and-electric) mode gets an amazing 55 miles a gallon. Total range is 640 miles on one gas tank, which is extraordinary. The wireless phone charger. If you have a recent iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, for example, you can just set it down in the center console — it instantly starts to charge, magnetically.

Why don’t all cars have Qi wireless phone charging pads built-in? More

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