GM Fuel Cells and hybrid car generalizations

Great article on GM fuel cell vehicles in Fortune. However, in it a GM engineer states "If the nation switched to them (hybrids) entirely our oil consumption would be higher than ever in just six years and growing nearly as fast as it is now, because hybrids improve fuel economy by only 25%."

I'm glad GM is interested in oil consumption; however, that logic seems a bit interesting.

On the other hand GM will offer bigger, greater oil-consuming SUVs until they can develop fuel cell SUVs. Under the most miraculous circumstances that won't happen for a decade, but probably much longer.

What is up with the hybrid car generalizations?

While current hybrids, on average, are only 25% more fuel efficient than standard vehicles, they are not - by any means - limited to only 25%. For Toyota, hybrids will become fuel-cell hybrids.

More important, however, increased gains in hybrid technology are not limited to only fuel cell development. Cleaner gasoline and diesel engines could also be utilized, as could increased battery storage.

Hybrids are a real start today. While I am strong proponent of fuel cells, I am a stronger proponent of doing something now to help reduce foreign oil dependence and fight pollution. Fuel cell talk, today, is nothing but hot air.