Re: plugin electric cars, that is the dumbest thing I've heard of. Electrical power has to be produced for those cars to plug into. My guess is that some of that electrical power is coming from some environmentally unfriendly sources.
I think it's a mistake to discount plug-in electric cars out-of-hand. For the forseeable future, all cars will cost money to operate and will create pollution in creating the energy to propel them (whether that's created at the time of propulsion or in advance). There are other issues such as convenience and power distribution as well. The question is: Can plug-in cars be developed that on balance deliver more value in terms of reduced cost, reduced pollution, and so on to make them viable? I don't think it's completely unrealistic.
In the article, they report that modifications to the Prius have enabled it to get 250 mpg using a power source that requires connection to an electrical outlet. It isn't possible to tell how many kilowatt-hours are necessary to propel it for a given distance so who knows how much pollution is generted in creating the energy to propel the car... but it's promising enough to entertain the thought that they might be on the right track.
And, re: hybrid cars/alternative fuel sources, the problem with cars is not just waht they do to the natural environment, but what they do to the human environment. If all of the vehicles in the US were magically replaced with flubber powered zero-emissions vehicles we might breathe easier, but our problems would be far from solved. Living in an auto dominated environment is the problem and poor air quality is but one symptom.
I'm not bright enough to know if all of that is true or not. I am certain, however, that there is no near-term solution that would move us very far away from an auto-dominated environment. Except possibly peak oil. :-)
In the mean time, do you suggest we just throw up our hands and stick with what we have? I'm more inclined to believe we should try to address the things we can.
Besides, we'll never all agree on what constitutes the ideal human environment.
And one more aside. The Prius is the fugliest car to be produced since the early 90s Chevy Caprice. It looks like a tuna. Their ugliness is part of their appeal to a certain demographic, but if they ever want mass appeal they're going to have to drop that hybrid powertrain into a visually inoffensive car. Kind of like Honda which makes hybrid versions of its existing lineup. I would love to drive a car that got mileage like that but not one that looks like a pregnant fish with wheels off a radio-flyer wagon.
Vanity issues? I like pretty cars, too, but few of mine have been. I do miss that '66 Mustang sometimes.
1) I agree that the (my) Prius is not eye-catchingly beautiful. I do not agree that it's the fugliest since that bathtub-shaped Caprice; I think there are uglier cars being produced today. It's a matter of taste, though.
2) Toyota's hybrid powertrain is available in the Highlander. It will be in the Camry "soon". Plus there'll be the Lexus RX and GS. Toyota also has several wicked cool concept cars which show promise. My fave is the CS&S 4-wheel drive mid-engine 2+2, but the Alessandro Volta is pretty cool, too. And the FTX pickup is not bad. Eventually most (perhaps all) of the major automakers will offer hybrid powertrains across most of their lineup (unless something cooler comes along).
3) Apart from the exterior styling, I don't feel like I've given up much for my mileage. The Prius peppier than my last two cars (Protegé, Neon) with smoother acceleration, better handling, better seats, more head and leg room, etc. Okay, it was more expensive. Looks aren't everything. My last fillup was 8.444 gallons after 429.9 miles. Set me back almost $14!
