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Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (951)	7/25/2008 12:16:29 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 86355

Investing billions on long term bets, or even investing billions on something that doesn't pan out in the end, is hardly unknown. Yes but I would have to put my faith in their perception of the market over your perception of the market. The market will change in the future as well, but it will very likely still have demand for vehicles of all different sizes. Which is easily accommodated by hybrid and eventually all electric vehicles.

To: TimF who wrote (951)	7/25/2008 2:53:49 PM
From: RetiredNow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

Agreed. The market will demand all different sizes and function of vehicles. However, the key goal is to increase average mpg across this fleet. If we can double avg fleet mpg from 25 to 50, then we will have gone a long way to oil independence. If we can increase that to 75, then we will be oil independent. That is a worth goal and completely doable with today's technology. The VOLT will be a 150 mpg vehicle capable of a range of 400 miles on a full tank (6-7 gallons). Imagine all vehicles on the road being range extended hybrids like the Volt, capable of going the first 40 miles on electricity only.

To: TimF who wrote (951)	7/28/2008 10:38:46 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

There is every reason to believe that, because until they become fairly competitive they won't be in serious mass production. Hybrids Fly Off Lot at Record Speed Consumer Demand Makes Hybrid Summer's Hottest Accessory By ELISABETH LEAMY July 11, 2008— Irene Magafan, a resident of Washington, D.C., has been looking forward to this day. Her name finally reached the top of the waiting list for a Honda Civic Hybrid. "It's like a sigh of relief. I just -- I'm like, I got the car," she said. "I feel like I can breathe now." High gas prices are causing "hybrid fever" across the country. While a conventional car sits on the dealer's lot for an average of 65 days before it sells, a Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid, lasts just six days -- or sometimes only six hours. ABC News wanted to know what it would take for us to get one. Watch this story on ABC's "World News" tonight, July 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET The first stop in the hybrid search was to see Richard Sears from Ourisman Honda in Bethesda, Md., where we found we would be put on a roughly 30-person waiting list. Since hybrid demand has skyrocketed, a 30-person waiting list translates to a three- to four-month wait. Ford Escape Hybrids are the next stop, but there aren't any to see. Even though the dealership placed requests, the manufacturers can't keep up with the high market demand. The wait is six months long. "The manufacturer isn't building them fast enough for us," said Eric Jacobi at Castle Ford Dealership in Silver Spring, Md. "We have orders. We have people. We have everything but the product." Part of the problem is that automakers didn't anticipate the surge in demand and don't have enough hybrid batteries on hand. At the third dealership of the day, we finally found a hybrid on the lot: a Toyota Highlander. The Highlander Hybrid only gets 2 more miles to the gallon on the highway than a regular Highlander, and it can cost up to $10,000 more. "Hybrid fever" is not entirely rational, according to Edmunds.com. For example, even with gas prices exceeding $4 a gallon, it would take five years to break even on the cost of a Toyota Prius. Still, people want them. "I believe we could probably do 100 hybrids a month -- at least," said Tammy Darvish of Dar Cars Toyota dealer in Silver Spring, Md. How about a used hybrid? At the largest CarMax retailer in the country in Laurel, Md., there was not one hybrid on the lot to test drive. Out of its 25,000 vehicles nationwide, CarMax has only 50 hybrids in total. "We had one come in & a Prius & a couple weeks ago," Dan Kitzes, a CarMax salesman said. "It sold in about four hours." In other words, Irene Magafan is one of the rare few. If you go shopping for a hybrid this weekend, you'll probably come away empty-handed. Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures