His final destination of Long Beach, Calif., within sight, Middle Tennessee State University Professor Cliff Ricketts will see his 2012 goal of traveling coast-to-coast on 10 gallons of gas or less achieved today (March 8).

Ricketts, 63, who is in his 36th year as a School of Agribusiness and Agriscience faculty member and 34th year as an alternative-fuels researcher, and his eight-member support team plan to arrive in Long Beach by 3 p.m. PST at the Long Beach Museum of Art, 2300 East Ocean Blvd. They will have traveled 2,582 miles on well under 10 gallons of gas.

Ricketts, who lives outside Mount Juliet, Tenn., and fellow driver Terry Young of Woodbury, Tenn., have driven 2,200-plus miles on about 1.5 gallons of purchased gasoline. Their other fuels have been solar, electricity, hydrogen from water and E95 (95 percent ethanol and 5 percent gas).

From Fort Smith, Ark., to Long Beach, they drove a 2007 Toyota Prius hybrid, using E95 and electric (two, 10-kilowatt-hour battery packs).

Ricketts said he also plans a similar coast-to-coast trip in 2013, that one on sun and water. It should be noted that as of March 7, AAA said national average gas prices were $3.76 for regular, $3.90 for mid-grade and $4.04 for premium.

For move, visit http://mtsunews.com/ricketts-coast-to-coast/. Watch a video about the trip at http://mtsunews.com (click on “MTSU Alt-Fuel Team Goes Coast to Coast on 10 Gallons of Gas” and get more facts about the trip at mtsunews.com/ricketts-coast-to-coast-facts.