2/24/2012 8:02 AM
Yeah, I heard they were pricey. They'll follow the tech trend, probably. Remember when flat screen televisions and smart phones came out 5 years ago. Prices where triple what they are today. Time will tell. I think the important part is someone took a leap of faith and went after it. It takes guts to do that.
Taking the lead with anything takes big guts. We all know that. Your back is exposed constantly to nay-sayers and anyone who has interest in competing interests -- in this case people with oil investments.
It's really a simple equation as to why alternative powered vehicles are being resisted at all.
The money invested in oil development hasn't been fully realized yet. The folks that have their inheritances and fortunes locked up in oil development futures and all the ancillary industry that supports it are in no way interested in anything but that. Naturally. Money makes people do funny things.
I think the technology and consumer demand is going to win out. There are too many out there now to ignore (hybrids) and pass off as a fad.
Out three year old Prius cost us 16K, had 28,000 miles on it.
Some quick and dirty math on our old car vs. the Prius considering tank size, gas price @ $3-4/gal, and comparative mileage has us saving around $4000 per year on fuel. That's a lot for us.
I've read too much about how gas prices are manipulated to believe for a minute that drilling or domestic development are going to bring any long-lasting change in gas prices.
If I really want to make a difference in anything that has to do with consumption, whether my own weight, or my fuel use in home and vehicle, I'm going to make changes in the equipment I'm using first. I'm going to tweak my methods to make my things efficient. If I refuse to embrace that, I'm going nowhere.
Affording those changes is something each of us has to balance out for ourselves.