Plug-in hybrids and fuel cells: Two peas in the distraction pod?
How many years until everyone drives a plug-in?It takes about 12 years to recycle through today's fleet of automobiles. Thus, if everyone started buying $40,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2010, it would be about 2022 before almost everyone in America was driving a plug-in.
Of course, if automakers sell even 100,000 plug-in hybrids, collectively, in 2010, or even 2011, I'll be shocked.
On the other hand, by 2010, Toyota alone could be selling well over a million hybrid vehicles, hybrid vehicles that scale plug-in hybrid costs downward by standardizing electric motors and other electric drive supplies, in addition to helping fund battery technology.
Yet, most hybrid tax credits are now expired, and the only ones being talked about are for plug-in hybrids. However, if Honda comes out with a 50+ mpg hybrid for less than 20,000 next year, and a $3,000 tax credit were added, an under $17,000 hybrid would be affordable for almost everyone, unlike plug-in hybrids. And then there's the competition.
Have plug-in hybrids become the new fuel cell vehicle - tons of potential, but a little too futuristic?
Labels: hybrid tax credits, Hybrid Vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
6:44 AM
1 Comments:
And for the record, I absolutely believe that plug-in hybrids will be an important part of America's fleet mix and they should be. I'm not advocating against plug-in hybrids. I'm just advocating that we get as many consumers into today's hybrid technology as the kinks of plug-in hybrid technology are worked out.
Instead, Congress, for instance, seems perfectly willing to make the future of the US fleet bio-fueled plug-ins, which means nothing, other than a lot of pork for the auto industry, in the short term as foreign oil dependency continues to strangle the average American.
Ask not what you can do for tomorrow, but what you can do today.
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