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Plug-in Hybrids May Not Go Mainstream, Toyota Says
mattnyc99 writes "Honda's challenger to the Prius — the Insight hybrid that we discussed so lividly a month ago — got its official unveiling today at the Paris auto show, with insiders confirming it would be cheaper than the world's most popular 'green' car while still hitting the same fuel-efficiency range. But the hybrid-electric showdown comes in the midst of a sudden rethink by Toyota about plug-in hybrids. Apparently all the recent hype — over the production version of the Chevy Volt, plus Chrysler's new electric trio and even the cool new Pininfarina EV also unveiled today — has execs from the world's number one automaker, and alt-fuel experts, questioning how many people will really buy electric cars, whether people will really charge them at night to keep the grid clear, whether batteries will make them too expensive and more. "
The problem no one considers is water vapor. You ever see those giant cooling towers at power plants? We used to call them cloud makers when I was a kid. While CO2 contributes less than 2% to the greenhouse effect, water vapor is 96%. So when we're all driving around in hydrogen cars and electric cars charged by coal and nuclear power plants we'll all be so proud of ourselves for getting rid of that evil carbon dioxide we won't notice the earth is turning into a sauna. Is the cure worse than the disease?