Having directed a movie called “Fuel,” people often ask me, “what kind of car should I buy?” I’ll cut to the chase – if you can afford it and you’ve got a place to charge it and it works for your commute, get an electric car. Granted, you’ll have to deal with range anxiety, plug in anxiety, and safety anxiety. But do the research and you’ll learn they really are just that – anxieties. Today’s electric vehicles (EV’s for short) are capable road warriors that have more stringent safety standards than their gasoline counterparts, can often be plugged into any standard household plug, and offer great range. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s available…

The Nissan Leaf is a 100% electric four-door sedan with a range of 115 miles per charge. At $35,200 for the base model, the car isn’t cheap, but a $7,500 federal tax rebate helps alleviate sticker shock. The inside of the car is roomy enough for five adults and some luggage. Settle into the drivers seat, close the door and you feel like you’re in a tank – a test drive in this machine should quiet most safety concerns. Luckily, the car has quick acceleration. The interior bristles with accessories that help the driver find charging stations and monitor the car’s power consumption.

The Mitsubishi I is a testament to good things coming in small packages. The car retails for $29,125 with a top speed of 81mph and a 62-mile per charge range. The $7,500 federal tax rebate also applies, making it priced to compete with entry-level gas-guzzlers. Granted, the car isn’t a speed demon, its range is curt, and its accessories are Spartan, but it drives surprisingly like a full sized sedan and comfortably seats four adults with luggage. The car comes with a 120 volt charger which takes 22 hours to fully charge, or for an additional cost, you can purchase the 240 volt charger which tops the car off in 7 hours.

CODA is the only EV company based in Los Angeles with a car largely assembled in the US. Its first model is aimed at urban jungle dwellers who need practicality and price. The four-door sedan retails for $37,250, has a 125-mile range, a top speed of 85mph and can be fully charged in 6 hours. (Again, the $7,500 federal tax rebate applies). The CODA is a direct competitor to the Leaf in almost every respect, beating the Nissan on range and perhaps inconspicuousness. The CODA is the only EV that looks like a “normal” car.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from inconspicuous sits the Tesla S (the long awaited big brother to the two door Tesla sports car). The S is aimed at the luxury market with a 17-inch 3-G connected touchscreen, 5 seats, 110mph top speed, 160-300 mile range and a starting price of – are you ready? – $57,400 (it costs an additional $20k to get the 300mile range). The car is indeed luxurious and, while Tesla is taking orders now, cars won’t ship until late this year.

On the horizon are more exciting consumer-friendly grocery getters. Of particular interest will be the upcoming RAV4 Electric, a completely re-engineered mini-SUV with good old Toyota reliability combined with a Tesla drivetrain. I’ll update this blog as well as my Facebook page and Twitter after my first test drive!

Where are all of the electric cars? Aren’t we in the era of new green designs and innovation on the environmental front? On the latest Tickell Talks, I took a look at the electric car movement and how it has been integrated into our society. With all of these new options within sight, why is it that electric cars still seem to be a far off, imaginary concept of the future?

My two guests this week are experts on green car technologies. Mariana Gerzanynch, the CEO of 350 Green, spoke with me about the new electric charging stations that are popping up all around the country. As most of us know, charging your electric car can consume a good part of your day making it very unappealing to the average driver. 350 Green has developed one way to make charging available to the public without compromising precious time or increasing driving distances. Teaming up with Walgreens and other major companies, 350 Green has started to install stations in locations that allow you to charge your car and take care of errands (read: consumerism) all at the same time- ultimately bringing the charger to the customer.

But, with every great green idea there are great challenges. Getting retailers on board with this idea is a long process filled with permits, utility coordinating, approval, etc. People tend to fear technologies that are new or relatively unknown making emotion the thing that stands between us and the revolution we need. There is some good news however. More and more cities are hopping on board with this idea, Chicago being the front-runner. With 280 stations in the city, a driver is never more than 2 miles away from a charging station. Come on California, now it is your turn! For more information about 350 Green or to learn where the nearest charging station is visit www.350green.com or email info@350green.com.

My next expert was Jon LeSage who is the green editor of Automotive Digest. Writing for the auto industry for over 20 years, Jon gives us insight on what green auto trends are out there and what it will take for the EV numbers to rise. In 2011, out of the 12 million cars that were sold in the United States, only about 2.2% of them were hybrid. Considering that percentage, it begs the question, why aren’t people buying more eco-friendly cars? According to Jon, more people are seeking out green options however they have developed what is known as “range anxiety”. What is this you ask? Well it is defined as “the fear that a vehicle has insufficient range to reach its destination and would thus strand the vehicle’s occupants.” What people don’t realize is that technology has provided us with more than one option for an eco car. Today there are countless variations and hybrids of energy efficient vehicles, it is just a matter of picking one that is in the right price range and fits your lifestyle.

I asked Jon what he thought it would take to increase the number of EV investments and purchases. According to him, developing more attractive vehicles on the market mixed with more readily available resources for these cars and with the horrendous price of gas, we can hope for a more eco-car filled future. In a perfect world, we would have the Steve Jobs of vehicles appear and create the “iCar”, but that has yet to happen. Until then, visit www.jonlesage.com or look out for the next issue of Automotive Digest to learn about the latest efforts in green auto technology.

Thank you to all who tuned in for the first episode of my new radio show, Tickell Talks where I spoke with a few experts who told us how to make money, improve the economy, and create new innovative ways to stay green and build a sustainable society.

With the question “What can I do with my money that doesn’t cause harm to the planet and still makes money?” in mind, I spoke with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney financial advisor Elana Pianko. Her main focus in the investing world has been Socially Responsible Investing. What is this you ask? Well, according to Elana, these are investors that:

“understand that the way people spend and invest can dramatically influence both the fabric and consciousness of society. They realize that today’s social issues often become tomorrow’s economic problems. They believe that we can make money and make a meaningful difference by consciously directing investment capital toward enterprises that contribute to a clean, healthy environment, treat people fairly, embrace equal opportunity, produce safe and useful products, and support efforts to promote world peace.”

SRI is putting money into companies that are promoting positive ethics and values, and companies that compete on an alpha level. Because more and more investors are adopting and using SRI strategies, they perform as well as or, in some cases better than traditional alpha investments. Socially Responsible Investing is not only catered to the “eco-yuppie” community, but appeals and has participation from everyone across the board. The bottom line is people want to invest in something that will not only make them more money, but also in something that makes them feel good about what they are investing in.

For more information about Socially Responsible Investing, or if you would like to get in contact with Elana, please visit:

www.morganstanely.com/fa/thepiankothilkinggroup

My next guest, Dr. Dickson Despommier shed some light on the future of agriculture and the role of genetically modified crops. Using modern technology, Dr. Dickson advocates a new way for us to sustain our rapidly growing population through a system called Vertical Farming. Vertical Farming is exactly as it sounds. It is a method of indoor farming that stacks layers of mini farms on top of each other to create a multiple story building. With this we can not only avoid the ever-changing climate conditions wreaking havoc on our crops, but also produce food at a higher volume and reduce the need for herbicides.

Dr. Dickson’s opinions of GMOs sparked an interesting conversation. As many of you know GMOs generally have a negative connotation. However, nowadays it is rare to consume anything that has not been modified in someway, unless you are fishing in the middle of the ocean. In his opinion, based on this alone, there is no reason to object to GMOs. However, if you are looking at a laboratory based GMO, that aims to only satisfy a small group of people and exploit others then there is an obvious issue of economy disparity enforced through crops or food. For example, plants that are bred to be resistance to herbicides, increase profits for the makers of herbicide by increasing the need for them. This essentially brings more money to specific group of people at the expense of others. The bottom line – there may be two sides to the GMO argument – both worth considering in light of the future of agriculture.