Traditional hybrids are becoming obsolete?
Already a dead car walking?Wow. I guess headlines are the only thing that matters these days.
Today, Newsweek has an article Why traditional hybrid cars are becoming obsolete.
Why? The $80, 000 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid and the $100,000 Tesla Roadster of course. Yet, according to the same article, without higher fuel prices, the gasoline engine might be around much longer than most would like.
Huh? So that's why traditional hybrid cars are going to become obsolete?
OK. Newsweek also cites declining Toyota Prius sales. While true, before the 2010 Prius launches, about 60,000 - 70,000 of these vehicles will already have been presold. In fact, based on early demand, Toyota has already put plans in motion to increase yearly production to 500,000 cars per year.
By 2015, GM - if all goes well - might be producing 100,000 Chevy Volts per year. Similarly, Nissan is hoping to produce 100,000 Cube EVs per year several years from now. Fisker is hoping to eventually produce 15,000 plug-in hybrids per year. In reality, by 2015, there might not be enough EVs produced yearly to replace even today's Prius demand.
Considering that Toyota and Honda are now betting big on hybrids, I guess they'll be next in bankruptcy court?
Labels: Chevy Volt electric vehicle concept, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:13 AM
11 Comments:
Don't worry, this market unsupported marketingeese. How people will go electric (which is more expensive than hybrid) even if they cannot support simply hybrid (which is far less expensive). Further, it is primarily the battery that makes hybrids more expensive. In the nearest, future, we will certainly see some cheap batteries large enough for hybrids. On the other hand, the battery cost for electric vehicles will remain an issue for much longer time.
I agree. My worry, however, is that many automakers have made such claims, such as Nissan. Yet, I think this is more of an excuse not to act today.
Fortunately, automakers are getting away with that today, and such a plan might work.
However, there is still plenty of reason to be worried that problems in the Middle East could easily lead to a quick run up in gas prices.
That will be only beneficial. First, USA don't import much oil from there. Most of it goes from Canada & Mexico. Second, it is time to change the lifestyle and make technological advances. Not with these gas prices!!!
I'm not worried because Americans are slower to embrace Hybrid and EV technology.
The EV's and Hybrids are coming anyways.
They will simply take a little longer as they will arrive in Europe and Asia first. Once the cars have been proven, Americans will slowly embrace them.
The only bad news, they won't be GM's or Fords......
LB
Cutting off Persian Gulf oil to the US would help change the US auto culture in a way that is probably needed, but it would happen in a way that would probably be pretty devastating to the economy.
While we might import most of our foreign oil oil from Mexico and Canada, we still import enough from the Persian Gulf to have a huge effect on gas prices.
Smurf-
If Ford and GM won't be producing them, will they all be Toyota's and Honda's?
Or, are you getting on the Buffett wagon and buying into Chinese automakers like BYD?
I really love Hybrids because less gas and produce less pollution per mile than conventional gasoline engines.
Dahcredyns said... "If Ford and GM won't be producing them, will they all be Toyota's and Honda's?"
Who knows?
I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid today if that gives you any hint.
There will be others in addition to Toyota and Honda, who develop the technology so it can be mass marketed. After they market their cars successfully at home they'll begin selling them in the US.
GM and Ford will be scrambling to play catch-up. Maybe they'll buy their way into the market, if they are still in existence....
Considering that the Feds are considering a total of $50 billion to help US automakers retool, I sure hope they can be more competitive. What a waste if not.
Indigo Incarnates
Traditional hybrids won't become obsolete until the day a carmaker can produce an EV for under $30k that has a 300 mile range, recharges in under an hour, and has batteries that have a 10-year life span.
I think Honda is taking the smarter route by selling a 43 MPG hybrid that will be more affordable than previous offers. After all, what will save more gasoline? 500 Fiskers or 50,000 Insights?
It's funny how such claims are made, yet those making these claims always also note that the internal combustion engine will still be around even after "traditional hybrids" are gone.
I guess when you have nothing today, it's easier to say that it's not relevant because you have some magic product that will soon change everything - sort of like the last few decades of fuel cell talk.
Post a Comment
<< Home