Hybrid Vehicles

I am about to enter the market for a new car after driving my Honda Accord for 14 years. It has required very little maintenance so I have been very happy with the car. It is just time to buy a new car.

I am only considering one car at this point, a Toyota Prius. I drove one last year and was pleasantly surprised by the power and spacious interior. On my last trip to San Francisco, we caught a ride in a Prius taxi and it handled the hills very well. I also love the fact that the new Prius has the option of a solar panel on the roof to power the A/C when the car is off. That is a great feature when you live in the valley. My mind is made up.

Before making my decision I did a pretty thourough search. I know that I want to purchase a hybrid car because I believe that is the right thing to do both financially and for the environment. The only problem is that there are not enough hybrid models on the market to choose from. The Honda Insight entered the market this year, but it is smaller than the Prius. If you are looking for a hybrid SUV you have even fewer choices. You either have to buy a small one or buy a very expensive larger model. There is nothing in between.

At this point, why aren't all cars hybrid? The technology has existed for long enough that Toyota is able to build very reliable hybrid cars and SUVs. Obviously Honda has also been able to build an attractive model as well. So, why aren't all of the other car makers jumping on the bandwagon? It sure seems like the right thing to do. We are running out of oil, the price of gas continues to rise and we are witnessing global climate change.

It is my opinion that all government vehicles should be hybrid models. If every government agency, including police departments, were required to buy hybrids the auto makers would be forced to build them or lose valuable market share.