Hi Paul,
   As a sometimes lurker on here I thought you might be interested in this.
I was watching a futuristic show on TV last night, and they featured this
group from California called Cal Cars, led by a guy called Felix Kramer.
   The group have developed an option pack for the latest Toyota Prius,
that allows the owner to plug the car into the mains at home to recharge
extra batteries, and thereby extend the range the Prius can travel on
battery power alone. He stated their goal was to develop the package so that
the average commuter driving about 30 miles a day would not need to visit a
gas station.
   For the full story go to http://www.calcars.org/index.html
Michael Burke
Australia.

Sounds like a good idea if you live on the top of a hill.
and you want to drive around on the top of the hill first thing
the next morning. In that case your battery will be nearly dead
when you get home at night.

If it is fully charged when you get home this won't work.
Lets say you lived at the bottom of a hill :)

Paul Lamar