Plug-in vehicles are promoted for a number of beneficial reasons that encompass environmental, economic, social and political motivations. This paper is the first in a quartet of investigative arguments that considers sustainability and the role of the plug-in vehicle in the context of the question: are they worthy of being called a sustainable energy technology?This first paper reviews one of the motivational drivers behind changing fossil fuel use (People security) and the implementation of plug-in-vehicles and employs sociology, and psychology to demonstrate the worthiness of plug-in vehicles to be a sustainable energy technology. This is not a well-to-wheels analysis.I.