The importance of hybrid technology

Yesterday, President Bush told reporters covering the G8 that the U.S. seeks to utilize technology to help fight not only global warming, but foreign oil dependency as well.

Environmentalists were not impressed. Nonetheless, many environmentalists act like both radical Republicans and Democrats - it's either their extreme view or the highway.

While I would like America, and the world, to suddenly embrace conservation - it just isn't going to happen. The history of the world has been advanced by technological innovation. End of story.

Bush and Detroit have habitually pointed to the 'hydrogen economy' as the ultimate answer. Today's terrorist activities and the current escalating oil crisis demonstrate that the world cannot wait 2 or 3 more decades before achieving a solution.

Hybrid cars, especially the Toyota Prius, prove that the U.S. doesn't have to wait for the hydrogen economy. If everyone drove a Prius, it would drastically change America's foreign oil dependency, as well as pollution emissions.

Nonetheless, just as with conservation, the Prius is not the answer, but hybrid technology does provide a solid solution. It has become quite clear that Americans not only want choice, but they want power and size. The Prius, unfortunately, does not address those preferences.

Still, as Prius hybrid technology has been added to vehicles such as the Lexus RX400h, the Toyota Highlander hybrid, and the Ford Escape hybrid, the potential of hybrid technology begins to emerge.

It's still not enough many critics will argue, and they are right. Fortunately, that is the beauty of hybrid technology. The advances made in hybrid technology from the first generation Prius to the second generation Prius, for example, were simply fantastic. Like the technology behind notebook computers, hybrid vehicles could easily double, triple, even quadruple - not only their fuel efficiency, but their performance - in just the next several years.

This doesn't require a completely new energy infrastructure, nor does it require somehow making $1,000,000 fuel cell vehicles more cost effective.

And it isn't just Toyota. Honda will be releasing an updated hybrid powertrain in both its Civic hybrid and Accord hybrid that could truly challenge the Prius. As other manufacturers begin offering their proprietary hybrid technology, gains could be exponentially made.

The time for talking about the technology of the future is no longer acceptable. American consumers must demand that automakers either act today, or perish tomorrow, and hybrid technology is the first step.