... "so you can feel all smug and superior."

That could have been phrased more delicately. Perhaps something along the lines of: As I see it many of the people who buy these vehicles are doing so for reasons other than efficiency and saving the planet. Many of them seem to be primarily motivated by a desire to ... "feel all smug and superior".

In effect saying the same thing without pointing a finger at anyone in particular and phrasing it more as an observation than an insult.

Fallshirmjager has something resembling a point. Hybrid cars are not the be and end all of automotive efficiency. Made worse by the fact that the manufacturers haven't been exactly up front with the real-world mileages and the down side of a battery pack that both represents a major proportion of the total replacement cost of the vehicle and one which has a limited lifespan even if everything goes well.

It isn't as if the manufacturers and advertisers in this society are squeaky clean and always completely honest. That hybrids would get in real life something less than what the sticker says shouldn't surprise anyone.

I thought the EV-1 was a good idea. As someone noted it wasn't a car that was for everyone. It would only fit the usage of about 70% of the people. The remainder would have to use something else. OF course the EV-1 program was killed as soon as the mandate expired and it no longer fit the makers image as a company pushing efficiency and advantage.

Europeans have gone into diesel technology. It is a simple and effective technology. Little known fact: The first diesel engine was designed to run on vegetable oil. Diesels would eliminate the need to change vegetable carbs to ethanol. A process which is hard to get more energy out of than you put in. Planting an oil crop and squeezing out fuel is much simpler and inherently more efficient. It is also easier to store, ship and use efficiently.

IMHO the biggest problem with hybrids is that in trying to be all things to all people they are trying to do too much. The complicated mechanisms that are cobbled together to try to make this happen have a lot of potential issues. Many of these will not become entirely apparent for years after the initial purchase. Reliability, repair-ability, the consequences of crashes and long-term durability and practicality remains to be seen.

I would buy a small vehicle with a efficient diesel if one was available. I would also buy an updated version of an EV-1. But neither of these is set up to be available and function in this country.

I don't have anything against hybrids. I have friends that love their hybrids. While both diesels and electric cars are well known technologies hybrids seem to me to be in an early level of development. In another five years a lot of the long-term issues will be known and hurdles, like finding a mechanic that will work for reasonable prices, will be solved. Or not. I think I will hold off strongly considering one until the jury has returned a final verdict.