[cleverklutz]

I hate hybrids so much. They have so much junk that can go wrong. I'm sure replacing the battery packs, the regenerative braking, and the electric motors has got to be a thrill from a financial standpoint. Hybrids have been given some awesome "Godlike" status but they aren't that great. For the most part an efficient diesel makes more power, uses less fuel, with just as little or less emissions on the newest diesels. Offering more vehicles with a diesel option would be a good place to start, and a lot cheaper than a hybrid.

The other option people are always so thrilled about is hydrogen fuel cell cars. I am unsure which I hate more, hybrids or hydrogen fuel cell cars. The reason behind this is that for some reason someone wants to eliminate the internal combustion engine. Maybe I just don't like the idea of big brother, but that would be a very effective way of limiting performance if everything was electric. How would you hop up an electric car? Change the battery wiring from parallel to series? Am I against hydrogen? No, absolutely not. If you have a large source of renewable energy such as hydroelectricity, solar, or wind, it's feasible to produce hydrogen. What I don't understand is why don't manufacturers run hydrogen in normal cars? I read a recent article in Popular Mechanics where Jay Leno tested a new BMW hydrogen fueled car. I think it had a V-12, and I can't remember the HP, but it moved. It could be filled with hydrogen or gas if hydrogen wasn't available. I don't think it would be hard for manufacturers to retrofit existing gas powered cars with fuel systems that would support hydrogen. It should be a very similar system to running on propane, which has been done for years. Maybe I just like the sound of a throaty V8, but I don't understand the huge push to electric motors and the rush to get rid of the "evil" internal combustion engine.

Ben