Everybody’s talking about these insane gas prices, but is anyone actually doing something about it? Heck, yeah! Did you read the story about the electrical engineer that modded (that’s hot rodded to this old schooler) his Toyota to get a cool 80 miles per gallon? And that’s just a start …

The article hit the wire this afternoon.

According to the article, Ron Gremban tweaked his Prius by adding additional batteries and a charger that plugs into a household wall socket. Gremban is riding the crest of a trend. These hot modded rods are generically known as “plug-in” hybrids.

Gremban is a member of the California Cars (CalCars) Initiative, a non-profit advocacy group:

CalCars is a group of entrepreneurs, environmentalists, engineers and other citizens working to spur adoption of efficient, non-polluting automotive technologies. We’re building demand among highly receptive markets to encourage auto makers to produce 100+MPG “no-sacrifices” high-performance, clean hybrid cars. We originated in response to interest in advanced automotive technologies, support from current owners of electric, natural gas, bio-fuel and hybrid vehicles, and the realization that fleets and early adopters have the buying power and resources needed to jump-start the market for better cars.

Lofty goals, perhaps … but they’re surely worthy and within the realm of possibility. Turnkey aftermarket conversion systems are slated for 2006 from EDrive Systems. At 12K a pop, EDrive’s custom plug-in conversions will not come cheap. But as gas prices continue to rise, you can bet that the automakers will be looking over the hot modders shoulders … and with suggestions that a factory plug-in hybrid could cost just 3K, those economics look better and better …

To read up on all the action, check out the CalCars FAQ.

Related: New Cars that average 30 MPG or higher