Another gas spike or two will change everything about hybrid sales. Hybrids still aren’t ready to mainstream, but they’re closer than you think Recently AutoNation’s Mike Jackson served up some stern remarks regarding hybrid and plug-in market penetration, pointing out that while 70 percent of consumers claim to be interested in hybrids and plug-ins — according to polls and surveys — less than 3 …

The Volt isn't the key energy policy conversation point. Burn, baby, burn I’m not sure what to think of Ray LaHood. Without solid evidence, LaHood crushed Toyota’s image during the sudden acceleration scandal that so suddenly disappeared. Yet, he allegedly hid evidence suggesting there might be some minor flaws in Chevy Volt plug-in engineering (And I do mean, minor.). Thus, it’s …

Can the pickup space be profitably reinvented? Can pickup trucks maintain their dominance without major changes? As my past rants have demonstrated, I’m not a big fan of CAFE — even the new and more stringent requirements. Sure they’re a step forward, but the fact that new CAFE requirements are so easy on pickup trucks for so long …

One of GM's Equinox fuel cell electric vehicles. The good, the bad, and the ugly of electric vehicles The ugly truth about plug-in and fuel cell vehicles is that they cost too much. That’s bad because it means gas-guzzlers are going to be around a long time, and it will…

Can a smart grid + solar power + plug-ins secure America? Too bad batteries, fuel cells and solar panels aren’t cheaper Living in the stone ages. That’s how I felt for a while after losing my power Wednesday night. Sure, the first few hours were tolerable, but after 24 hours things started to feel a little surreal. After 48 hours, things turned just plain crazy. It&#…

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Just 49 Silverado hybrid sales in October More hybrid and plug-in models, less sales In October, Ford sold more hybrids and plug-ins than any other automaker except Toyota. Unfortunately, Ford only sold 1,907 alternative powertrain vehicles. Is the hybrid and plug-in segment stuck between a revolutionary new battery and a hard place? Outside of the Toyota Prius , the numbers are ugly. For instance, …

Foreign oil independence? It's all about trucks? That at least 3 percent of pickup truck drivers would buy 40 mpg. That’s become one of the biggest lies in the auto industry these days, but there are many cars that actually achieve 40 mpg in the real world, such as the Toyota Prius or the Honda Insight . But what about trucks? What would it take to achieve …

Model S — coolest and smartest station wagon ever It’s about more than just EV range Was just checking out some pictures of the new Tesla Model S in the noteworthy CNNMoney article Inside the Tesla Model S , and I absolutely love the 3rd row of seating that turns the gorgeous Model S sedan into the coolest station wagon ever. Tesla…

The perfect size for American consumers? And a gas tax too! I got a good laugh this morning reading Take Polls With A Grain Of Salt by Jeremy Anwyl CEO of Edmunds.com regarding his recent testimony before Congress on new CAFE requirements. Essentially, Awyl observed that Congress is obsessed by polls, taking them almost as fact, despite the irrefutable evidence demonstrating that …

Main Street has much more power than it thinks, it just doesn't know how to use it. If the 99 percent were richer, would they buy more fuel efficient vehicles? There is no doubt that the wealth gap between the rich and the poor continues to increase, but solely blaming Wall Street and the 1 percenters of society is only a partial solution to addressing this problem. Moreover, as…

Will small ever be sexy in America? Who needs hybrid technology anymore? According to VW, the upcoming Up! subcompact is going to offer up to 56 mpg, or even 73 mpg with the natural gas version, when it launches later this year. Sure, the Up! achieves these numbers using only a tiny 3-cylinder engine …