They're here! Many auto companies now offer "hybrids"...i.e., powered by gasoline and/or electricity. Of course, they're not your grandfather's wheels! Back in the day, your grandpa and grandma could drive around all day in their full sized V-8 Cadillac Coupe de Ville for less than the cost of one gallon of today's gasoline! Or, at least pretty close to it! Let's see...at $3.00 per gallon today, vs perhaps 29 CENTS per gallon back then; that means for $3.00 back then, grandpa could buy 10.4 gallons of gas. A big Caddy V-8 probably could get only about 10 mpg, so grandpa and grandma could drive about 104 miles on $3.00 worth of gas!
Ok...so what does all this have to do with hybrids, you ask?
Well...it's all about economics. And we're seeing people get more and more frustrated every day, with ever increasing gas prices. Indeed, many people are spearheading movements to boycott gas buying for 1 day a week or month or whatever. Also, many folks are buying these hybrid cars...some states offer to waive sales taxes on hybrid car purchases to encourage more buyers to choose hybrids.
What I'm continually amazed at is the apparent ignorance of American auto buyers...as well as the audacity of our auto makers over the past 30 years or so.
Back in the 70's "gas shortage" (right!!), auto manufacturers were forced to downsize their gas-guzzling behemoths that were so very popular in earlier times (like that V-8 Coupe de Ville!) when gas cost that 29 cents per gallon (or less). No longer could Americans keep burning up all the worlds' gasoline driving around in 2-3 tons of steel, iron, glass, cloth, leather, rubber, etc.,etc. Auto makers began making the mini cars (Plymouth Horizon, Dodge Omni, Volkswagen Rabbit, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and so on. Practically every car maker had at least one mini in the lineup, and ALL cars were mandated to meet new Federal fuel economy guidelines as well.
After the 70's "shortage" was "forgotten" (perhaps by the late 70's, early 80's), auto makers once again came out with the big stuff. Now it was the SUV's....from the practical, functional Kia Sportage "small" SUV style, to the humungous arcs like the big Ford Explorers or GMC Suburbans and others.
Did the auto makers care then about fuel economy? Not really! One of the main reasons for making them so huge was to fit them into a class of vehicle whose fuel economy regulations were less demanding. And they sold millions of them! Because we bought them! Because we forgot about the gas-shortage, I guess!
Then, all of a sudden the world starts needing more gas and oil, prices skyrocket, SUV's and gas-guzzlers once again become 'white-elephants' people are sorry they're saddled with...and the new generation "mini" emerges.....the "hybrid" cars! Those small, fuel efficient, economically practical little 'buggies' that both answers the miser's prayers to save all those nickels and dimes as well as the status-seeker's wishes to show the rest of the world he/she is doing their part to save fuel...indeed, doing their part to save the WORLD, because burning fossil fuels is now becoming a worldwide issue surrounding global warming and climate change and all that goes along with that!
So....I'm convinced that the hybrids are here to stay...it might be that only the poor folks and the 'nerds' truly appreciate and actually own them. The "rich" may still drive their big gas guzzlers...after all, with the "average Jane and Joe" driving in small cars so they can save money for the rent, mortgage or food, etc., that leaves that much more gas available to those with the means to buy it at any cost, doesn't it?
And you thought the hybrids were just a passing fad?!
Could be, but if they do pass by, and we see auto makers start pushing the big stuff again, I hope we learned enough from our past experiences to resist the pressures of the Madison Avenue ad writers who may try to sell us a bill of goods again.