Rice University wins electric car

A 2008 hatchback with a maximum speed of 25 mph may not look like the best deal on wheels around, but don't be fooled. The car is 100 percent electric-powered and because Rice University student Josh Rutenberg came in second place in an online video contest, his school got a free one Tuesday.

"It drives just the same as a gasoline-powered car. It gave me no problems and it's just a really cool experience to be in an electric vehicle," said Rutenberg, 19.

The car was donated by California-based Miles Electric Vehicles, a company that manufactures and distributes the cars. You can plug it into the wall for about four to six hours at night, then it should be up and running for another 45 miles.

Ken See, who sells the cars at his Austin, Texas-based electric car retailer EV Autos Texas, says his vehicles are cheaper to operate than gas-fueled ones, costing as little as 30 cents to recharge.

"(You) can't get a pickup truck out of the parking lot for 30 cents, let alone drive it all day long," said See. He said it will save you anywhere from $7,000 to $8000 a year in fuel and maintainance costs versus a pickup truck or small car.

The car will be used by Rice Emergency Medical Services. Rutenberg's winning video got about 20,000 hits on YouTube. In addition to Rice getting a car, Rutenberg received a $1,000 scholarship, but he says more importantly was the underlying message.

"It was just a really cool chance to educate other people about these electric cars out there and this chance to move into more cleaner fuel technologies in our cars and in our societies," he said.

For each gas-powered vehicle that's taken off the road and replaced with an electric one, more than 12,000 pounds of tailpipe emissions are prevented each year. Rutenberg someday hopes to purchase one himself, but says he'll need a bigger scholarship.