Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

This isn't actually "news," but I felt it an important issue and something that I've definitely noticed.http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?...&ID=2005104246

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

Thats so retarded. What better way to add "Vrrroooom" then to tack on an extra 20 to 30hp of instant power to the drive train in the form of an electric motor?

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

I'm not sure if you're being frank or sarcastic or what... any improvement in performance goes hand-in-hand with a drop in mileage.

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

I agree with the main argument of the article, it's a no-brainer that these SUV hybrids do not deserve the kind of tax credit the gas sippers get. I think it's okay to hybridize larger vehicles, but also should consider phazing out the conventional model so that the gas saving equipment isn't an option for that size of vehicle. Probably won't ever happen, but we could do it.

I also hope Honda introduces a gas-sipping Accord. This 30 MPG Accord may be fun to drive, but it's a shame to have people point out the fact that it's not really saving much gas. You'd think the company that's so concerned about FE would have done a better job in their flagship model, something to challenge the Prius II.

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

If you assume there will always be people who want or need either power or size (hauling capacity) or both, then you have to applaud any efforts to improve economy at any level. In fact, if you do the math, you will find that a 10% increase in fuel mileage on a vehicle that gets 15 mpg saves a lot more fuel than a 10% increase in economy on a vehicle that gets 40 mpg. I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid because I think its the right thing to do environmentally and because it saves me money. I also have a 4 wheel drive truck because I need it for some tasks and, on some occasions, for getting in and out of our home in the mountains. I will be overjoyed when someone can give me a replacement vehicle that gets 30 mpg

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

I think any hybrid should get some kind of tax break. Now, if there was a better break for the "gas sippers", great. But we need every incentive we can get to get as many of these cars on the road as we can. So the current motivation is for power and FE secondary. OK, not what I'd like, but it's still better than nothing.

In America (and other similar economies), what people buy decides what becomes important. It's a power few people truly understand, appreciate, or harness. If we buy them, they will make more. As long as people buy the "gas sippers", they'll make more. Someone will make a mid-sized sedan with Insight-mileage, and they'll sell truck load.

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

I disagree because you could easily make a "hybrid" that had more power and got worse mileage than a non-hybrid. Only when the hybrid version gets better mpg should it get a tax break. In fact the mpgs should be the reason for the tax break, not the hybridness. What if they come out with a hybrid H2 that gets 8mpg?

Many hybrids get worse mileage than my Vette. Should I get a tax break on my Vette?

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

I agree with the tax deduction based on mileage.

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

I disagree entriely. The SUV hybrids SHOULD be given the tax break, probably moreso than the small cars. Why? Because the people who are buying them are paying top dollar over comparable models just to save fuel.

I certainly could not have two small cars (HCHs) in my family, because we need room to haul farm material. I can't get two bales of hay in my HCH trunk, no matter how hard I try. But I paid $4,000 or more for the hybrid version of the Escape. The income credit did play a role in it. I could have easily spent a lot less, got a lot more vehicle, and a lot less gas mileage.

Over the Dodge Grand Caravan I replaced (which was larger in interior space), I am getting 60 percent better gas mileage (20/32).

Rather than discouraging people from buying these vehicles we should be encouraging their purchase, the tax incentives do such.

Re: Hybrid car technology takes wrong turn
 

I'm not so sure hybrid SUVs really deserve tax breaks at all. We're under the assumption that people need SUVs. In America, most people who buy them don't need them at all. Take a trip to Europe or Canada and you'll see what people *need*. The macho factor is much less there and everyone owns compact and midsize cars. Making the switch to *cars* is what deserves applause. "I want to take advantage of a tax break while owning a slightly-less-gas-guzzling SUV that I really don't need"... that's something we want to endorse?