[OAC_Sparky]

scoobasteve,Aug 24 2005, 09:14 AM Wrote:8-10g's for a battery... jesus! why would you even bother with a hybrid.
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Just like any vehicle -- how long does the average new car buyer keep their car? It'll be the poor schmuck that buys one used that will be taking the risk.

The $8-10G is a current estimate. Just like LiON and NiCAD batteries, they should come down in price (at least from a production standpoint), but like I said, market demand will keep the price inflated.

There's still a market for hybrd technology. Local delivery, taxi cabs, etc. which give the hybrids a chance to reach their potential will benefit.

When a hybrid is at highway speed the battery can't keep up, so the ICE needs to run all the time, and since you're lugging around a huge battery pack as well it becomes less efficient.

So any usage where the driving is mainly city miles, coupled with businesses that can write off things like vehicle purchases and maintenance costs can come out ahead. But not the average Joe Commuter. He's still better (at this point) buying a normal ICE vehicle.