ee what it's like to change directions and stop living life in the gas lane!" exhorts Brett Dewey of Sherman Oaks, Calif., on the Web site devoted to his 1997 GM EV1 electric vehicle. "It's like making a U-turn. Changing directions. You stop polluting and start helping."

Lest you think that electric vehicles are pokey, impractical cars for eccentric environmentalists, Dewey reminds us, "You don't give up speed, style or comfort." Though he's driven it since June 1997, the television writer still can't contain his enthusiasm for the EV1, which he describes as "sleek," "exciting" and "cool."

High-tech Environmentalism
One test drive of the EV1 is all it took to convince Dewey. "I feel like I'm driving a computer: no key, just push a button and I'm dusting Mazda Miatas everywhere!" he boasts, referring to the EV1's keyless entry and ignition. Of course, the fact that they're better for the environment was no small incentive for Dewey to consider leasing the EV1: It produces 97 percent fewer localized emissions than what Dewey describes as "ICE-age" vehicles (that's ICE, as in Internal Combustion Engine).

A self-described "child of the 1970s energy crisis," Dewey has followed the evolution of electric vehicles closely over the years, especially after moving to Los Angeles nine years ago where the mountains outside his office window vanish behind the city's smog two-thirds of the year. This lament earned Dewey a mention in Time magazine's December 1997 story on electric cars. A few months earlier Dewey had started his Web site to do a little proselytizing. "I knew people were curious about electric cars and had a lot of questions. Everywhere I go someone wants to ask about the car. How fast does it go? Is it really all electric? Where do I charge it? And getting the information from someone who wasn't an employee of the car company but a customer might make the car seem a little more real," Dewey explains.

Spreading the Word
Because the EV1 is currently available only in California and Arizona, Dewey's Web site is able to introduce electric vehicles to a larger audience. "There's a whole world of people out there who don't even see them on the road," Dewey notes. "So the Web site seemed like a great way to share my experiences."

On average, 30 visitors a day from around the world share Dewey's experiences. One visitor included a GM engineer who e-mailed Dewey to express appreciation for Dewey's praise of the car he had helped to build.

Dewey says he gives his site a "major tune-up" once every other month and more often as needed, whenever he comes across new information about electric cars — such as photos, articles, or links to other Web sites — or "whenever something new or interesting happens to me, I add it to the site," he says. Dewey's most recent addition to his site includes an account of his test-drive of the new 1999-model EV1. He hopes soon to add information on gas-electric hybrid cars, such as Toyota's Prius. "They're not as environmentally amazing as pure electrics but they'll be a great transition step for most drivers. And certainly better on the air quality than most cars driven today," Dewey says.

Reported by Kara Reuter, cars.com

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