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[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by sugarpop

Electrics ARE viable for a large portion of the population. Most people probably don't drive anywhere near 100 miles per day.

You're probably right for normal commuting. Now what do you do when you want to go to the mountains skiing or down to the shore for the weekend or just to the casinos for the evening? You need another car and it's got to be a good one for traveling, but what if you can't afford another car?

Does that ski lodge, shore motel or casino have a charging station? Not in the future, not even in the fall, RFN? No they don't. Electrics are not viable for most people as the family sedan without a lot of bullshit.

A hybrid with a small engine is viable for most people RFN. Go anywhere anytime and still get 40, 50, 60, miles per gallon. The biggest drawback of hybrids is they have been designed and built for maximum bragging rights on mileage, rather than vehicles that are comfortable and with enough space to be useful for a family of four.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

The biggest drawback of hybrids is they have been designed and built for maximum bragging rights on mileage, rather than vehicles that are comfortable and with enough space to be useful for a family of four.

Biggest problem are the many labeled as hybrids that, instead, pervert the technology only to increase horsepower during acceleration. And other hybrids that provide none of those needed benefits.

Routine for all driving is for a hybrid to get over 50 MPH. So we put hybrids in larger car and get something around 40 MPG. Meanwhile, even GM's smallest cars average (at best) 26 MPG.

But again, how many horsepower is required to maintain 50 MPH? My worst case calculations on an Olds 88 and Taurus were 8 and 10 hp. GM engineers told me it was more like 4 and 2. That means most every car needs maybe a 1 liter engine. If using hybrid technology, it accelerates same, but does not waste a 200+ horsepower engine putting only 10 hp to the wheels. Damning numbers that say why hybrids should have been routine ten years earlier - when even President Clinton was a better innovator than auto executives.

Hybrid technology is the 'at minimum' requirement for all cars of the future. So what will GM introduce in 2010? A 500 hp obsolete technology Camaro. Could they be any dumber?