Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia's richest man and owner of the New Jersey Nets, has bankrolled an all-Russian natural gas-electric hybrid car called the ë-mobile (pronounced yo-mobile), but that wasn’t enough to impress Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his tiger blood.

Help Grist raise $25,000 by September 30 to further advance our climate reporting

Putin: "This yo-mobile of yours, I hope it won't fall into pieces, will it?"

Before a test-drive of the ë-mobile, the famously butch-tastic Putin also joked about whether it had the range to make it all the way to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's house. Ha ha, puny hybrid! But the car held it together, so when the rest of the world is sucking on the fumes that are all that’s left after oil exports hit a wall, Moscow can continue its legendary tradition of endless traffic jams, thanks to its enormous gas reserves and this innovative compact.