Plug-In Hybrid Milestone

Toyota is teaming up with two University of California campuses to test a plug-in version of its Prius that will run about seven miles exclusively on the juice from its battery.

While seven miles isn't much, and isn't as much as car makers say they can achieve with a breakthrough in lithium-ion battery technology, this first public test marks a milestone for the technology.

One day, it could be common to plug in your car to an outlet at home, and get to and from work without using a drop of gas. Coupled with improvements to power plant pollution controls, the technology holds amazing promise for reducing the contribution that transportation makes to global warming.

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