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December 15, 2004
| Detroit's
hybrid vehicle collaboration
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They had no
choice.
American auto-makers have said
for many years that hydrogen powered vehicles are the wave of
the future. At one point in time, DaimlerChrysler even planned
to start marketing such cars, run by fuel cells, in 2004.
Obviously, that didn't happen.
Back in the energy crisis of the '70s, fuel cells were also
touted as the future, and some 20 years later, the future still
appears at least 20 years away.
Then came the Honda
Insight, and more important, the Toyota
Prius. At first American automakers laughed at hybrids
claiming that Americans only cared about more power and larger
vehicles. Yet, more and more of those cars were sold and
suddenly Detroit stopped laughing.
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Toyota Prius
+ Prius
hybrid home
+ Escape
hybrid home
+ Accord
hybrid home
+ Head
to head: Prius and the Escape hybrid match up
+ Prius
test drive
+ Escape
hybrid test drive
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Now
hybrid
vehicle technology not only produces cleaner vehicles, but
more powerful and faster vehicles, such as the Accord
hybrid by Honda.
Thus, Ford finally entered the hybrid race with it's Ford
Escape hybrid, and GM and DaimlerChrysler are working
together to create hybrid powertrains. Of course, GM and
DaimlerChrysler insist hybrids are nothing but a transition to
their hydrogen future.
Very rarely, unfortunately, do you hear from Detroit
environmental reasons for supporting hybrid vehicles. It's
almost as if the environment isn't even a core issue.
The recent UN global warming conference further validated this
point. President Bush, and many American corporations, simply
refuse to lead on CO2 reductions. On the other hand, every
country and packs of American scientists insist CO2 is beginning
to pose serious problems to the world that are only going to get
worse.
Yet, if the hydrogen economy is decades away, can the world
continue on it's current path? Shouldn't there be some cause for
concern, some action taken?
Apparently, not as far as Detroit is concerned. In reality, the
only reason that Detroit is getting involved in hybrid vehicles,
is because they have no choice.
Decreasing market share has been about the only constant for
American auto-makers. Without more than 100 billion dollars in
incentives, a majority of American vehicles, including the
supposedly popular SUVs, would simply not have sold.
Too expensive, or too intelligent?
Toyota and Honda, even after significant investments in hybrid
cars, are still much better, financially, when it comes to
automobile production.
The American problem isn't about expense, it's about intelligent
leadership, or, more specifically, the lack thereof.
While the evidence that CO2 emissions are a significant, perhaps
even the most significant, contributor to global warming might
not be provable beyond a reasonable doubt, it certainly can be
proven by a preponderance of evidence.
As the world continues to heat up, which it will, the questions
of automotive responsibility will become clearer and clearer. To
continue down the current path, much of the world's automotive
industry will become susceptible to lawsuits, similar to that of
smoking.
Regardless, those lawsuits will be heard in the very near
future. Such willful negligence will not go unchecked. Sadly,
American laborers will be the ones to suffer most.
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