So, the outages and gas troubles around here have me wondering about the usability of vehicles that are being touted as alternatives to pure internal combustion engines.

Hybrids, particularly ones like the the Prius, will let you get by without gas for a bit longer. A Prius could give you a range of 400 miles or more. Seems to be the best of the options. Pure electrics? You’re toast after the batteries run down - about 70-100 miles. And with the power out for days? That’s a brick.

Plug in hybrids? You might get away with a bit more range, but if there’s no electricity, you’re going to be in trouble sooner. The range on those will depend on any number of factors, so they might have an advantage over pure hybrids - say like when you’ve got power at your home or place of business, but gas is hard to find.