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How U.S. Policy Undermines Hybrid Cars |
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Written by Kacey Green
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Friday, 10 February 2006 |
International Hearald Tribune Reports : 2/7
Some of my favorite people drive a Prius. They bought the car, obviously, because they were worried about the planet. But the fringe benefits are pretty nice, too.
In the United States, Prius drivers can use a carpool lane in some places even when no one else is in the car. No matter where they're driving, they coast down the road in a whisper-quiet hum unlike anything else. Best of all, even if no one likes admitting it, they get to enjoy the cool-kid cachet that comes with being an early adopter of a fad. No other vehicle has had a recurring role on the TV show "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Now President George W. Bush has taken the hybrid craze to a whole new level.
To cure the U.S. addiction to oil, he said last week, Americans must invest in hybrid cars, hydrogen cars, even cars that run on wood chips and grass. Energy technology is having its big moment.
I really don't know what his problem is but David Leonhardt really seems to have a bone to pick with hybrids. The article starts out fairly buddy-buddy and then he turns and attacks the whole concept of the hybrid. He does make a good point, calling the President on the way he latched on to hybrids six years after they went mainstream in this country. There is a faint odor of greenwashing, but he may have just realised that his opinion wasn't the popular opinion. When he realizes this he has to do the politician thing and give us what we want to hear so he can continue doing what he wants to do. What do you think? (discuss this article)
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 March 2006 )
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