California has told car makers to start producing hybrid vehicles that can be plugged into the electricity mains. Last week the state's Air Resources Board ruled that makers must produce at least 58,000 "plug-in" hybrid vehicles for sale in California between 2012 and 2014. Regular hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius use an engine to charge their batteries. Plug-in hybrids go one better as their batteries can be topped up from the mains, cutting fuel consumption further. (source: technology.newscientist.com)
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