The Seattle Times' Danny Westneat has written a column questioning whether plug-in cars need a reality check. His column cites the results of 14 plug-in Priuses operated by the city of Seattle driven a span of 17,636 miles as only achieving 51 MPG.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka the Stimulus/Spending Bill) will reach President Obama's desk this week and within the $787 billion bill are many provisions for new, energy-focused initiatives including major increases in tax credits for EVs and PHEVs.