zahntech said:
The cost of fuel today is not completely at odds with inflation...you remember the days of filling up your car for 5.00$? ..ok well how much did a 4 bedroom home cost then?....a loaf of bread?...almost all prices have gone up since we were kids and since our parents were kids..."aww i remember when gas was 5 cents a gallon!" ..ok grandpa...
Werd
Like I said- Increases are a fact of life we have to deal with. To say that the prices are going to go up "eventually" is far from insightful, hell I wouldn't even say it is "observent" beyond the capabilities of a fourth grader. The difference will be the increments of increase rather than an immediate hit like the one we all took last fall.
I guess we can liken it to the concept of having the heat turned up so slowly you hardly notice your getting cooked...
Of course as a concerned person, I would like to see alternatives arise before I end up "done" so to speak, but I believe those technologies will filter in from the economy segment rather than from the high performance arena. If you look at the current trend, this seems to be the way it is progressing.
It starts with cars like the Insight, and the Prius, cars oriented toward buyers with economy in mind, then it filters out to your average joe buying their / sedan/minivan/SUV- and as the tech improves, and the performance improves, then we will see it start to filter into the performance segment.
I just don't see the logic of going the opposite direction, and starting at the top end- especially when the tech is so- "unrefined". Where do you put the heavy batteries in a sportscar anyway? Is the sportscar driver really going to put enough miles under the tires to make it worth while in fuel savings to go Hybrid, or is that tech better focused on the commuter car grocery getter segment? What do you think is the sales ratio of those more mundane vehicles to our beloved two seaters? Probably be better for the environment to switch over the millions of average cars before we start worrying about the thousands of nich cars... Don't you think?
If we are talking about alternative fuels, then some sort of distribution system for those fuels is going to need to go into place before we see alt fuel vehicles become more mainstream- once adequate infrastructure is in place manufacturers will start moving toward pushing the products to use it. I am sure Uncle Sam will be providing manufacturers with incentive to do so-
The alternative fuel issue also gets us all caught up in a chicken-egg argument- who goes first? Will the alt fuel suppliers build stations to service cars that haven't been adopted by the populace yet, or will the manufacturers build cars people can't get fuel for? I am not saying one won't go first, but it will take time to complete the process.
This means that whatever happens, it will happen gradually- probably too gradually for our Hollyweird friends who pontificate on how everything "should" be without consideration for what is required to actually make it happen.
I am awfully sorry to hear about the continuing plight of LA- I used to get out there 10 years ago- sounds like nothing has changed. That scummy looking marine layer marring the skyline was shocking even back in 95- Nothing new there, even though all the stars are driving Priuses? Most be all the Escalades, Bentley's, Lambo's, Ferrari's ect parked next to their fashionable Hybrid in the garage... You know, I have seen Cribs too, and a lot of those stars are doing some serious internal combusting. Really the pollution is more a function of the average joes out there commuting to their day jobs. A bunch of rich folks in Malibu cruising around in Priuses is hardly going to make a serious impact, is it- nice to see them setting an example though.
This is just my speculation, but I think if Honda came out with a hybrid sports car right now- it would flop. I have my doubts that the majority of the performance market wants it, and we don't really "need" it yet.
Should the car be ULEV, or SULEV? Absolutely- I think it should have some groundbreaking engine mangement, and architecture that will produce fuel efficient horsepower too,
But we already know it will have those things- After all it will be a Honda above all things, right?
The Prius is actually a pretty neat little car that is exceptionally practical- Good platform to demonstrate the technology. I have driven them extensively, and I like the generous host of features they are packaged with. I still think Honda is doing it better with their hybrid Civics, and Accords- they look normal, and for all intensive purposes are normal cars other than their hybrid engines. They aren't so much catering to the "fad" as they are practical solutions to reduce fuel consumption. To Toyota's credit- the hybrid RX330 seems to be in line with mainstreaming gas/electric engines.
I would be willing to bet that the first MAJOR steps taken in the movement toward the widespread adoption of alternative fuels will happen in California. Ya'll seriously need it.
While it seems like it can't happen soon enough- there are plenty of reasons for the pace of change- until then I guess it is just great cocktail conversation for the movie stars eh?
Philip