by Ron Erb

Created on: February 22, 2007   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

Hybrid cars are NOT the answer to America's energy problems. Today's cars, including hybrids, are TOO EXPENSIVE for drivers, for America, and for earth! Most of the machines we love so much have an internal combustion engine, known in environmental circles as ICE. No matter how clean technology makes them, and even though they have become very reliable, internal combustion engines are not a good answer for the future. Americans must look to new solutions for their family cars.

Just for a moment, let's forget Al Gore's excellent documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" (although if you have seen it, that won't be easy.) Regardless of "global warming," why should we be driving inefficient vehicles that extend our dependence on foreign oil? Alternatives are possible, practical and just as much fun to own and drive as today's ICE-powered cars. Electric cars are the answer for American drivers. Until recently, I believed my next car would be a hybrid gas/electric car. Now I am committed to building my own electric vehicle and to convince others that electric is the direction we should take. It is up to us!

Why not a hybrid gas/electric? Since they are available now and help with the immediate oil dependence problem, these cars are a good quick fix. But such complex vehicles still have internal combustion engines (ICE) with all the expensive habits of their ancestors. Here is a partial list:

-Destruction of the air we breathe
-Wearing complex internal parts
-Self-destruction by the dirty explosions at their hearts
-Polluting imported oil for fuel and lubrication
-Requiring expensive catalytic converters
-Maintenance-intensive relative to electric machines
-Inherently inefficient

Although I have always loved cars, and they have vastly improved, ICE-powered autos can never reach the efficiency and environmental friendliness of electric vehicles. A new generation of electric vehicles (EV's) is as lovable as our old friends. More good news! Some enterprising people are taking matters into their own hands. To see some amazing electric vehicles people are creating themselves, just Google "Ev album." These "do it yourself" projects use "donor cars" that would otherwise be headed for the crusher, a big environmental boost. I have also found that components for electric vehicles are in short supply. This movement is gaining momentum and companies are building electric alternatives. If you would like to see how excited drivers get about EV's, watch "Who Killed the Electric Car." This documentary

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