GM Inside News Forum - View Single Post - "Hybrid Cars a 'Terrible' Business Prospect"

richb65 · 09-25-2005, 08:35 PM

Finally, some sensible thinking on hybrid vehicles! Although demand for hybrids might be more than "anecdotal," they are a lousy proposition for both the auto manufacturers (I'm told that most hybrids, including the Prius, are heavily subsidized by Toyota), and for consumers (the payback on hybrids is generally > 4 years compared to non-hybrids, even at $2.75/gal gasoline). I'm not quite sure where fuel cell vehicles fit in -- probably nowhere for the next 10 or 20 years. Don't get me started on ethanol or bio-diesel -- both are completely dependent upon taxpayer subsidies, and worst of all they consume more energy than they create.
The only "alternative" fuels that really make economic sense are diesel and propane.

09-25-2005, 08:35 PM	#5 (permalink)
richb65 2.4 Liter SIDI ECOTEC Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Illinois Drives: 2000 Chevy Impala Posts: 108	Re: "Hybrid Cars a 'Terrible' Business Prospect" Finally, some sensible thinking on hybrid vehicles! Although demand for hybrids might be more than "anecdotal," they are a lousy proposition for both the auto manufacturers (I'm told that most hybrids, including the Prius, are heavily subsidized by Toyota), and for consumers (the payback on hybrids is generally > 4 years compared to non-hybrids, even at $2.75/gal gasoline). I'm not quite sure where fuel cell vehicles fit in -- probably nowhere for the next 10 or 20 years. Don't get me started on ethanol or bio-diesel -- both are completely dependent upon taxpayer subsidies, and worst of all they consume more energy than they create. The only "alternative" fuels that really make economic sense are diesel and propane.