No, Gasoline-Electric Hybrids are not Passé

By Ron Cogan

Amazingly enough, there is already talk in some circles that gasoline-electric hybrids have come and gone. Some in the media have run articles forwarding this line of thought, a move that's presumptuous at best.

It's interesting to witness the gasoline-electric hybrid market unfold with as many twists and turns as a good paperback thriller. Many point to the hybrid's sometimes considerable price differential as an insurmountable challenge that spells the hybrid's ultimate failure in the marketplace. Green Car Journal editors submit that not all hybrid buying decisions are viewed in terms of how long it takes for higher mpg to pay for the purchase price differential.

People are driven to buy cars for diverse reasons. In the case of a hybrid, some look at the status that a hybrid brings or the high fuel economy it delivers, while others are driven only by a specific hybrid model's ability to add to the performance/luxury experience. It's really no different than paying $3,000 or $4,000 extra for a car with a Special Edition package that might include a higher-performance V-8 in place of a standard V-6, advanced safety systems, leather interior, power adjustable and memory seats, high-end audiophile stereo system, and the like.

In one case, performance, comfort, and luxury attributes are driving the premium purchase decision. In the other it's something else just as important to a growing number of buyers. For some, it's the status of doing something proactive to improve our environment, balance-of-trade, or energy security. A sub-group would be those who want others to recognize that they're doing this without a word said...one of the reasons why readily-recognizable vehicles like the Prius sell so well.

The simple argument for or against hybrids is symptomatic of a much larger issue that faces us. Either society makes some strategic changes in direction to consider all options - from hybrids and ethanol to natural gas and hydrogen - or we continue in the same direction until the 'serious' stage we are in now passes by almost unnoticed...and we reach 'crisis.' This is a challenge, but - no surprise - it's also an opportunity for auto manufacturers, component developers, alternative fuel interests, and others in the industry. It is a time when new solutions, technologies, and products are needed and, given the opportunity, the best and brightest will shine.

We are in the early years when hybrid technology is just beginning to get traction. The mistake that many people make is in believing that hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicle technologies either must prove themselves out of the gate, or die. The problem with this thinking is that it takes time for some things to take hold, and hybrid engine technology is one of these.

Gasoline-electric hybrids are costly now, but those costs will come down with manufacturing efficiencies, mass production quantities of all the special components it takes to make hybrids, and greater sales numbers...which in turn will also move their price downward. It is a path. It will take time. It is worth it.