Are hybrid cars really the answer?

With all the commotion currently going on about the high price of gasoline many consumers and advocates are pushing the move to hybrid cars. Sure it may be cleaner, but with the North American economy heading in the same direction as it is now, how can such an economy support such a massive surge on the nation's electrical grid?
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Many major metropolitan centres have experienced blackouts on several occasions. Even more are on the brink of being pushed beyond their production capabilities. Many of the nation's electricity distributors are pushing incentives to cut back on electrical demand. Rates during peak consumption hours are rising, and discounts are given to those who use the grid's power during off-peak hours. There are even programs that allow the electricity companies to cycle down your air conditioner remotely to conserve energy.

Electric cars are not the answer. They are simply a segment of the auto industry just as 4-cylinders, 6-cylinders, and 8-cylinders are. Just as a small percentage of North Americans choose to drive diesel powered cars, so will be the one for electric vehicles.

And neither are cars powered by water. With the municipalities surrounding the Great Lakes (Manitoba, Michigan, New York, Ontario and Pennsylvania) fighting over the world's largest source of fresh water for drinking, let alone for an alternative auto fuel.

Alternative fuels are not the consumer's answer to today's problems. The answer to the domestic problem of energy use is simply efficiency. Yes, that's right. Today's automobile engine is roughly 35% efficient.

The electricity industry has taken a step in the right direction by actively supporting the fluorescent light bulb. Regular incandescent light bulbs gave 10% of their energy in the form of visible light ... the rest in heat. That's practically reversed with the compact fluorescent bulbs.