Are Hybrids the savior of the auto industry
 

I think not. People will always demand a truck or whatever thats 3 times to large for their needs that has zero recharge time. Burn that oil like theres no tomorrow..

Agreed. People won't go green voluntarily unless it's a "no pain" situation.

That said, I think the technology should be persued. I also think that the current crop of hybrids is kind of half-baked transitionary technology and that if I was the sort of person looking at one (I'm not), I'd wait a couple of years and buy a full electric vehicle or one that only uses an internal combustion engine to charge the fuel cell.

Will the current hybrid technology save the industry? I'm pretty sure not. As you point out Grumpy, too many Americans want to drive huge, inefficient hulks.

I think in the long range, transportation will be fueled by something other than oil (not even hybrid w/gas). But I don't think it will happen soon enough to affect the current situation for the auto industry. Now is the time for R&D which is a huge economic drain that the industry can't afford with its current income (losses).

I'm all for fuel efficiency, but not interested in hybrid at this point, because it's too new and I'm not sure they are any less impactful on the environment when you consider battery manufacture and disposal. I'd rather have a conventional gas powered car that gets 35-40 MPG which we've been able to make for decades now.

I think what will save the US auto industry is that it will continue to do what its doing and shrink to meet its new market share position.

[QUOTE=Brett A;185]Will the current hybrid technology save the industry? I'm pretty sure not. As you point out Grumpy, too many Americans want to drive huge, inefficient hulks.

I think in the long range, transportation will be fueled by something other than oil (not even hybrid w/gas). But I don't think it will happen soon enough to affect the current situation for the auto industry. Now is the time for R&D which is a huge economic drain that the industry can't afford with its current income (losses).

OK, but there have been persistent rumors for decades that the major car makers have quietly done the R&D, then sat on the results until the time was right. Paranoia? Maybe. Seems sometimes the less people know the louder they shout but we live in interesting times. Can't afford with its current income (losses). I think now could be very much the right time. Your car manufacturers have got more government backing (taxpayers money) than ever before. Doesn't this give your government all the leverage it needs? How efficient could hybrid cars be if they went into real mass production? Refined oil is a great fuel. For the amount of energy you get from it it's light, dense, portable, doesn't have to be stored under pressure and until recently, very cheap. You guys have the same problem that we have; you used to be self sufficient in oil, but now have to import it. The future? Accepting that "too many Americans want to drive huge, inefficient hulks", President Obama made an interesting statement a few days ago. He expects that within the next five years, US car makers will be mass producing cars giving 150 mpg. Is this the answer? Instead of trying to prise you guys out of your "huge inefficient hulks", would it be possible to make them fuel efficient without taking the fun away?

Not unyil the cost of fuel is over 4.00 a gallon.People aren't gonna give up their gas guzzlers until it's financially painful.

Gas was over 4 bucks a gallon and it didn't stop them. If gas gets high as 10 bucks a gallon, I'll still keep my 7 mpg Chevy 1 ton. Why go in dept for 40k or so to replace a truck thats 'paid for' when it's only needed part time to pull the stock trailer?

Thinking about electric cars, those won't do our family either. What? 100 miles on a charge, lol. Two kids here, one in highschool 20 miles from the gradeschool our other kid is in, and they both play ball for school. It is 30 miles one way to work so thats 60 miles each day, then after we run to pick up kids from ball practice from two different schools wich totals 40 more miles a day, then alot of our away games range from 30-60 miles away 'one direction'. That is A-LOT of driving and some days it's not hard to push the poor car 220 miles a day. If each kid has a game on the same night, I have to hop in the truck and take one or the other as one car can't be in two towns at the same time. 4 bucks a gallon was a bitch,even worse on days we had to use two automobiles, but we still stood behind our kids 100% on one income that pays very little. If we can do it, I'm quite sure other folks making much more money than us will not let 4 bucks a gallon slow them down.

..... or $5./gallon, or $10. / gallon.... or even more. The financial aspect will be the one thing that will really drive change. When it gets too painful to drive the SUV, then and only then will people search out more efficient transportation. And everyone's threshold of pain is different.

I do wish people would be a bit more patient with hybrid technology. I think it's basically a sound idea, just needs more time to develop and mature. Emission controls are a good thing, and work well these days. But if you remember the earlier versions..... they sucked. It all took some time....

Maybe they need to come up with a diesel-electric setup like train locamotives to power the big vehicles.

Not the answer, but an answer. The Volt, in particular, seems very impressive. Sure, there will always be a need for other vehicles, but if we could convert half the fleet to hybrids, the effect would be huge.

Of course, we'd have to build a bunch more electrical plants...

Probably not a bad idea. Diesels are efficient, and they're getting "cleaner" with the proper fuels and engine development, etc.

Maybe it's even time to re-visit the turbine engine? I know they didn't pan out for use as a straight substitute for a regular engine, but maybe if used in "hybrid" mode they could be an answer. They could be used in a more efficient RPM range, and could make use of a variety of fuels.