Week 1: Shift to Electric Cars likely?

While the technology for electric cars has been around for awhile now, auto makers haven’t been promoting them because there was just too much profit in gas driven guzzlers and the status quo. But, now a large percentage of the populace has woken up to the fact that global warming is a real phenomenon, whose clock is ticking; and that burning of fossil fuels, and the emissions they produce, increase the global warming potential. So, for that reason alternative forms of transportation that minimize the use of liquid gasoline and diminish the greenhouse effect are all the rage: enter electric cars to save the day…and the auto maker’s bottom lines.


That being said, I have to say, I’m really not that impressed by the current city and highway mpg ratings that the Eco Cars at the latest Detroit Auto Show are touting. You’d think with all our technological advances, we’d be able to make economical, ecological vehicles that got better mileage! I mean really, today we have phones that surf the Internet and make videos no less (not that I really need my phone to do anything other than make a call), why can‘t we get better gas mileage on our vehicles?

So, yes, I do think that hybrid vehicles of some sort, be they driven by electrical power or hydrogen fuel cells will be a societal requirement moving forward; but, I still think we have a long way to go until they meet the needs of the consumer and the environment.