I bought the mod from Coastal Technologies that allows electric-only operation at low speeds. Since I live in a small residential area with stop signs at every block, I thought it would be useful for short trips uptown. The cost was $55 including shipping and arrived (with a bag of Jelly Bellies) in about 2 weeks.

The unit is a microprocessor that you tap into a few of the wires on the car's computer. The instructions were very clear and the whole install took about 30 minutes. It came with all the needed taps, so there was no cutting or splicing. You have to remove a couple small dash panels to access the computer, but these were snap-ins and no sweat to remove and replace. You activate it with the cruise control stalk. It deactivates automatically when: moderate to hard acceleration, speed hits 34 miles per hour, or battery gets too low.

It works as advertised, and is very satisfying to drive around electric-only. However, it's more of a novelty than a practical mileage-booster. The battery gets down to 2-3 bars within a mile (now you know why an electric car needs so many batteries). And when it has to recharge the battery, your mileage is worse than if you hadn't drained it. So overall mileage-wise, it's probably a wash. There's no free lunch.

Would I do it again? Probably not. But I'll keep it installed, for that occasional experience of pure electric motoring.

Mike