Katrina demands hybrid vehicles

Oil has become America's Achilles Heal

Fortunately, the worst of Katrina slipped by New Orleans, but it will take days to estimate the catastrophic damage the hurricane has caused and will yet cause.

Aside from damage to property, Katrina could have widespread effects upon the energy industry. It is possible that oil rigs have been destroyed, that oil refineries have been significantly damaged, and that major ports could be closed for weeks. Thus, oil and gas prices will go up and they will stay up for some time.

While this will probably be only a temporary spike, the keyword is 'probably', and we are still early in the hurricane season.

American demand for oil has pushed refinement capacity to its limits, not to mention requiring the need for ever more foreign oil.

Oil has become America's Achilles heal. If hurricanes can wreak so much havoc on America's Energy sector, what could terrorists do? While the U.S. can recover from a hurricane, what if Hugo Chavez stopped shipping oil to the U.S. for just a week in some sort of protest? What if terrorists took a out a few oil refineries?

Decades ago, America became the world's major super power via technology. Today, in terms of fuel efficiency, Japan leads the way for automotive technology, as American automakers focus on marketing budgets and profit margins.

Perhaps this was acceptable in the past, but shouldn't 9/11 have changed this? Instead, America is increasing its foreign oil dependency from places like Saudi Arabia, the same country where almost all of the 9/11 terrorists came from.

Who financed those terrorists? Where did the money come from?

Hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius hybrid, are a revolution. If every American drove a Prius, the need for foreign oil would be over.

While critics might argue that if every American drove a Honda Civic, a cheaper alternative to the Prius, foreign oil dependency could also end, every American isn't going to drive a Civic, nor a Prius. Moreover, neither GM nor Ford would survive if every American drove compact vehicles. The loss of those jobs would be devasting, but only advanced technology, such as hybrid technology, will save those jobs.

Thus, hybrid vehicles are TODAY's solution. Hybrid technology can move far beyond the Prius, into SUVs, such as the Ford Escape hybrid and the Toyota Highlander hybrid, plus it can move into larger sedans, such as the Toyota Camry hybrid.

More important, plug-in hybrids and other experimental hybrids demonstrate that the potential of hybrid technology is only just being tapped. These experimental hybrids are technologically feasible today, at a cost that is significantly less than fuel cell vehicles, which are not technologically feasible today. Oh yeah, and they could achieve 250 mpg.

Without technological leadership, the American economy will be severely damaged. Hybrid vehicles are not just about protecting America's national security from terrorists, but about protecting America's national security from economic recession or even collapse.

The American economy is led by consumers. While energy costs for the average American have dropped since the '80's, much consumer spending has been sustained by the housing boom. If oil prices push the economy into a recession, with slowed spending, and the real estate bubble begins to deflate, the U.S. could get caught in a vicious downward cycle.

If that happens, most Americans won't have any choice but to drive a cheap compact, if they can even afford to drive, and neither GM nor Ford would survive.

Is that risk really worth flossing and bling, blinging in a gas-guzzler? Are Americans really that selfish and ignorant? Let's hope not.