Bush speech on energy policy today 4245I think higher pollution is acceptable, especially given that most of the science behind the "harm" of pollution at levels we are debating, in the US, is weak...
Are you implying people wouldn't want to buy a fuel efficient car or truck?
Here's how hybrids current work in the auto industry. For every Ford Escape Hybrid Ford sells, they can sell 1-2 extra gas guzzling trucks. Toyota actually tried pebreastioning California to let them sell more Land Cruisers, Tacomas, etc. there because Priuses were selling so well, arguing that the Prius should count againts the pollution the bigger cars make (California rejected that move).
Therefore, hybrids in themselves will do little to improve fuel economy on average, unless there is some kind of lowest common denominator target for all automakers. And with "hybrids" like the GM Sierra and Honda Accord, the amount of hybridization, and fuel economy improvement, is relatively modest. In the case of the Sierra, it really isn't even a true hybrid.
There are off the shelf technologies automakers could use to improve fuel efficiency in vehicles by about 15-25 percent- or more (we aren't yet even talking about turbodiesel engines, hybrids, or anything like that). It would increase cost 600-1000 dollars per car, but the average person would make that up in fuel savings in a few years. In some cases there would be cost benefits just from ditching things like hydraulic power steering in favor of electric power buttist.
