Best Buy : A Year of Hybrid Happiness with the Eco-Geekmobile

Suzanne HilkerStaff Writer

A year ago, Best Buy announced the transition of the classic Geekmobile to the hybrid Toyota Prius c.

Geek Squad Agents spend a lot of time in their 'mobile offices' bringing tech support to customers at home. And when it comes to technology, these gadget gurus are not always the easiest to impress.

We caught up with Agent Richard Hart, who spent six years and 95,000 miles with his previous Geekmobile and was among the first to drive one of the new hybrid ones, to get his opinion.

'The Prius was the right choice for Geek Squad. It's tech-forward, less expensive to maintain and all-around makes us look even geekier,' he said. 'Plus, the Prius is really fun to drive, and all of the dashboard information displays make me feel like I'm in a spaceship.'

Although changing cars was bittersweet, Agent Hart took to new set of wheels right away. He even gave it a name: Priusaurus Rex.

An eco-friendly Geekmobile

Among the reasons for switching to the new Geekmobile was its environmentally friendly nature. The gas mileage outperforms traditional gas-run cars - the Geekmobile fleet has been getting an average of 42 miles per gallon (MPG). Agent Hart's most efficient day was a whopping 72.9 MPG (and he has a picture to prove it!).

Over the past year, the Prius fleet saved 140,000 gallons of gas, the carbon equivalent of taking 263 cars off of the road for a year.

Agent Hart was surprised at how much time he saved by not having to fill up as much. 'Less time at the gas station means more time at customers' homes,' he pointed out. And then there's the money savings from using less gas - to the tune of hundreds of thousands over the past year.

It looks like the new car passes the test with at least one Agent. Plus, saving money while saving the environment is a certified win-win in our book.

For more Best Buy sustainability stories, follow us on Twitter @BestBuyCSR.