Hybrid Technology: One Mode Versus Two Mode

Soon, the first hybrid cars from GM and Chrysler will be available for sale, and so too will a new type of hybrid technology.

The New York Times notes, "the new technology is different in some crucial respects. It has the potential to operate much more efficiently at highway speeds, with a greater boost from the electric motors. The components are lighter and more compact and can be readily adapted to different types of vehicles. It is particularly well suited to large trucks and S.U.V.'s — the biggest gas hogs in Americans' garages — where it will have the greatest impact on overall fuel consumption."

Wouldn't going from an SUV to a hybrid car, rather than a large hybrid SUV, "have the greatest impact on overall fuel consumption"?

Still, if consumers have to have a "gas hog", a hybrid "gas hog" will be 25% less piggish - and that's at least a good start.