There are so many unknowns to electric cars, and so many reasons to fear them. Or at least that seems to be the consensus when you ask Joe or Joanne Public.

Of course people who’ve done even a small amount of research into electric transport will know that these common fears are often unfounded. Yet the fear remains.

People still ask me often, “What happens when you drive an electric car out to the middle of nowhere and run out of electricity?” This to you and me appears as an absurd question. I typically respond with, “The same thing you’d do in any car that’s run out of juice”.

So it’s a silly question provided with a silly answer. Yet to the average person going about their daily lives it’s an issue that’s at the forefront of their minds with these newfangled electric car things.

I often wonder if the general public aren’t ready for electric cars, or maybe it’s electric cars that aren’t ready for the general public. Either way the solution to this temporary problem is the Plug-In Hybrid. Due to the fears of the masses, it will soon be the most important vehicular concept of our generation, and a vital stepping stone towards mass adoption of pure electric vehicles.

Pure electric fanatics like myself will most likely balk at the prospect of the gasoline/electric combination vehicle being king of our generation – yet it’s inevitable, and needs to happen – until long range electric vehicles become affordable.

For a hundred years the gasoline engine has been king and that’s what we’re used to. Therefore it’s natural that people will resist the change to go without it. Fear of the unknown strikes again, yet the plug-in hybrid fills this void. While few and far-between, drivers of plug-in hybrid vehicles may not realize it but they’re aiding in the progression of the masses towards going all-electric. These people are important components and need to be encouraged with tax incentives and public charging bays.

The major car makers are dragging their heels in producing the vital plug-in hybrid platform for many different reasons. This is frustrating. It seems to me that car makers don’t want them; oil companies don’t want them; in fact the only people who do want them are consumers – and they don’t count.

Another fear people have when they see a particular electric car in the media is that it won’t work as it’s not suited to everyone. This is obvious as people have different needs. An SUV is completely impractical for a typical student, just as a little hatchback is absolutely useless when going off-road. In short, no car is ideal for everyone.

So don’t fear the stepping stone known as the Plug-In Hybrid – instead embrace it as it will soon be king even if only for a day. For whether we want it or not the pure electric car is soon to be coroneted.