Hybrids

(12/10/2008) - The recent hearings and debate surrounding the proposed bailout of GM, Ford, and Chrysler (the “Big Three”) has been surreal.  On the one hand, lots of conservatives are coming back to their free-market talking points after a few months of conveniently forgetting them when it came to providing loans to the banking industry.  On the other, many liberals/progressives are suggesting that the government use the bailout money to force the Big Three to change their ways and produce more energy efficient vehicles as if gas was still selling for $4 a gallon.  There are plenty of good reasons to promote fuel efficient transportation, but this isn't the best way.

Hybridcars.com summed up this idea back in November: “The potential Detroit bailout is a once-in-a-lifetime crisis turned opportunity. A grand bargain is in the works: the federal government provides billions of dollars to the automakers, and in exchange, the automakers must retool to produce high-mpg gasoline cars, gas-electric vehicles, clean diesel cars, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric cars.”

This isn’t the best way to help American automakers or reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.  Despite how much one might dislike gas-guzzlers, or how much they contribute to CO2 emissions, they are only a small part of the reason GM, Ford, and Chrysler are in so much trouble.