Re: Hybrid vehicle pricing
There's no question that prices will drop as production increases and market uptake takes time. Part of the problem is also to do with battery cost - they're just really expensive. This is also one of the reasons solar is so expensive.
The other thing we need to remember with hybrids is that they are seriously well-engineered vehicles. Not just in the hybrid system, but also in the computer system; the aerodynamics, regenerative braking, continuously variable transmission...All of these elements will become more common in other models, which will help to drive costs down - but it takes time. I'm not sure a low-end hybrid would work as without these extra features, you probably wouldn't get the power that you would need for a hybrid to be practical.
I definitely agree that the tax incentive approach would help. There are some incentive programs out there, but unfortunately I think the best tax break program out there is still the US tax incentives for small businesses to buy SUVs. Kind of the opposite of what we should have. That one was on the record from the 80s to help support farmers/small construction businesses who needed pickup trucks to get the work done. in the early 2000's George Bush decided that this law needed to be strengthened so he increased the tax break for these vehicles, and also increased who could cash in.
Hopefully Obama's administration will fix that blip and maybe replace it with one that encourages more environmental vehicles.
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