Or, to put it in a more bubble-headed analogy, it's kind of like music. The SUVs are bubble gum pop, and the hybrids are rap metal, neo-punk, or Norah Jones (all three of which seemed to replace pop in a random three musketeers sort of way). SUVs are over and hybrids are in.john1701a said:It's happening, exactly as predicted. The Priustoric times will be a memory in just a few years. Yeah!
The dinosaurs that once ruled the land didn't possess the ability to cope with the changing environment like the mammals did. Their specialization of diet allowed them to grow to enormous size. But then when that food supply began to diminish, so did their numbers.
The very same thing is happening to the monster-size SUVs, now that gas is becoming too expensive for them maintain a steady diet of.
Their reign is ending. The age of hybrids is beginning. Size & Power won't be the only factor of appeal anymore. Much better balance with other factors, like Emissions & Efficiency, will finally be a reality.
With apologies for taking your beautiful analogy too literally:john1701a said:The dinosaurs that once ruled the land didn't possess the ability to cope with the changing environment like the mammals did...
Um, no.Daniel said:One dinosaur did indeed have the ability to adapt. Archyopterix. The dinosaurs, who once ruled the earth, now rule the skies. Bats and bugs are up there too, but the albatross, the eagle, the barn swallow and their kin, direct descendants of the dinosaurs, are the kings of the air.
I do not know if this is true, but if it is, then they will continue to rule the skies long after our oil is gone. Unless somebody can quell my fears by showing me some great new technology. Oh yeah, gliders and experimental ultralights are nice, but they don't count, unless we think we can carry people and cargo in quantity.Daniel said:....The dinosaurs, who once ruled the earth, now rule the skies. Bats and bugs are up there too, but the albatross, the eagle, the barn swallow and their kin, direct descendants of the dinosaurs, are the kings of the air.
Although I spelled it wrong, and there is controversy, I believe that archaeopteryx is generally considered to be a transitional form between dinosaurs and birds, displaying features of both, although it has more in common with dinosaurs than with birds.Saruman said:...Birds and dinosaurs share a common reptilian ancestor, but birds are not the direct descendents of dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx is a primitive winged reptile currentlt believed to be an extinct sideline and also not a direct ancestor of modern birds...
So the archaeopteryx is a hybrid? Dammit, that would have been a great name for my car.Daniel said:Although I spelled it wrong, and there is controversy, I believe that archaeopteryx is generally considered to be a transitional form between dinosaurs and birds, displaying features of both, although it has more in common with dinosaurs than with birds.Saruman said:...Birds and dinosaurs share a common reptilian ancestor, but birds are not the direct descendents of dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx is a primitive winged reptile currentlt believed to be an extinct sideline and also not a direct ancestor of modern birds...
I agree that it would be a great name for a car, but there is a big difference between a hybrid (which combines two things) and a transitional form, which is a stage in the evolution of one thing into another.hedwigtheprius said:So the archaeopteryx is a hybrid? Dammit, that would have been a great name for my car.
Yup, the free market IS working, and the Prius IS a perfect example.ToyotaMike said:What about free market forces? I think if the Gov't aritficially raises the price of gas, why would a company spend millions of dollars to develope new technologies? Knowing that the Gov't can then decide to remove the artificial price increase, thus removing the forced incentive to by the technology in the first place. The free market is working, the Prius is a perfect example. Even without the Gov't forcing an artifical rise in the price of gas, automotive companies are racing to Hybrid technology and beyond.
Bush Bashing is not the asnswer. It is a much more complicated problem, that has been growing since the early 80's. This county has over 40 differenct blends of gasoline yet the environmental groups have put up road blocks on EVERY new refinery proposed. How can the oil and gas companies keep up supply when we have the exact same number of refineries we did in the 70's. Again, the gov't has put a unfair burden on private industry requiring special blends yet not allowing the companies to expand to meet the new requirements. I know it is an easy answer to spout "Bush Inc" but a deeper look into the problem will find that the Bush administration did not cause this problem. Instead, I have faith in our free market society. The market forces will direct industy. Overall, we live in the greatest country on earth with some of the most responsible people to be found (regardless of what the media and others would have you think). The majority of the people want a better planet for their children and those forces will move industry, not Bush or Kerry in the Whitehouse. Well my soapbox has had enough use for today.Nope, Bush INC. is seeing that SUVs are alive 7 well.
See, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5068594/
"The Bush administration is considering removing environmental requirements for a multitude of gasoline blends as one way to increase supplies of gasoline and fight soaring prices, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans said in an interview with The Associated Press. ---"
1) Amen, brother! Bush bashing is not the answer. Neither is "big oil bashing" or calls for increased gas taxes or regulations or laws forcing people to drive certain cars, or prohibiting the use of certain other types of cars. The American people (I cannot speak for people in other countries; I just don't know you well enough) are smart enough to figure things out on their own. I'm sorry if it just takes a little bit longer for some than it does for others, but that's just the way it is. It's insulting to try to ram laws or regulations down our throats, and it will only make us resentful and angry.ToyotaMike said:Bush Bashing is not the asnswer....we have the exact same number of refineries we did in the 70's...Sorry to get a bit off topic.