I broke down a few weeks ago and bought a new car. After test driving and researching all the options out there, I landed on the new Ford C-Max Hybrid. The estimated miles per gallon is 47 both highway and in town and I was getting such great gas mileage that after the first two weeks I thought maybe the gas gauge was broken (it was not). I opted to forgo the “plug-in” option because, frankly, I have no where to plug in (hint for more mid-sized cities to start adopting charging stations). Oh, and I liked driving the C-Max better than the Volt and the Prius and my hybrid beat out the Prius in all the biggie car publications.

I was going to call Brad Harrison with Charles Gabus Ford who spent hours having to listen to me talk about the pros and cons of all sorts of vehicles (flex-fuel, electric vehicles, fuel cell, etc.) but I thought he might not realize I was joking. Although he was a great sport about selling a car to someone who writes about alternative vehicles (and drives them) every day. Thanks Brad.

The car is fun to drive, has great get up and go, is quiet, so quiet in fact when you are idling you think you’ve stalled, and is approved for the use of E15, 15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gasoline, which I will begin using once it makes its way to my hometown. It’s sporty and I’ve found that when I park places (especially at the gas station) people ask me how I like my car. My answer: My hybrid rocks! (see below for confirmation).

I took my hybrid on its first road trip to the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri and when I finally filled her up, had 500 miles for the tank. Take that big oil! I see why they are constantly attacking the biofuels industry – with better fuel economy, more fuel choices at the pump mixed with hybrids and all electric vehicles, they are going to have to strategize about how to diversify their companies in the new green age. Or how about this – the renewable energy companies could take their place and some day we’ll be telling our kids about the days when Big Oil was king. Bye-bye- king, the queen is taking the throne.

But I digress as I often do when I’m excited. So now that I am a hybrid owner, I feel I’m entitled to tell Ford (and the other autos) how to make my car just a bit better. Please make your next hybrid E85 compatible (85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline). Then we’d really be driving!