Hungry for Hybrids

Consumers will ultimately benefit from high gas prices

By popsci Posted 04.13.2006 at 12:13 pm 3 Comments

It may not be the first thing you think of when you’re filling your SUV’s 20-gallon tank with $100 worth of gas every week, but the skyrocketing price of oil might actually be good for us—eventually. This week, a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll revealed that because of increasing gas prices, 54 percent of Americans would seriously consider purchasing a hybrid vehicle for their next car were it not for one major barrier: price. Currently, hybrid versions of existing models (Honda’s Civic and Accord, Ford’s Escape SUV) are priced much higher—anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 more—while lower-cost hybrids like Toyota’s Prius still come with significant performance tradeoffs in comparison with similarly-priced conventional cars. The big automakers have taken their sweet time pushing hybrid technology into the mainstream, but as the survey shows, there is real demand. Hopefully this demand won’t have to wait much longer for an adequately economical supply. —John Mahoney

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3 Comments

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popsci

04/14/06 at 12:12 pm

Boo on you for blaming automakers for an expensive. How about years of oil price manipulation? The government has been able to keep oil prices reasonable for all those years so there was no demand for fuel efficient cars.

Now, not surprisingly, gas prices spike and there's an increase in demand for fuel efficient cars. Are automakers are supposed to turn their production around on a dime? The price of hybrids will go down as demand and competition increase.

Too bad we're stuck living with the reality of a reactive, not proactive, market system.

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popsci

08/11/06 at 7:01 pm

I really enjoyed your article "Race to 100 MPG". These designs are something I think about alot. So what I got out of this is not several competing technologies, but what I hope will be 1 integrated and effective design. A Lightweight and aerodynamic carbon composite vehicle that is powered by a StarRotar engine that also incoporates a compressed nitrogen hydrolic hybrid engine. Awsome! Lets do it. Use bio-diesel to power it (High energy density) and be sure to insulate those nitrogen tanks. Wouldn't won't to bleed energy as heat when the compressed gas cools (and shrinks) in un-insulated tanks.

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popsci

03/13/07 at 12:44 am

Hey

Great blog you have here, i have put you with other great blogs in my bookmarks

Keep it up

Daan