The hybrid vehicle has moved out of the arena of the funky looking automobile that no one would ever want to drive, and several car companies, including Toyota and Ford, have decided it’s time to drop hybrid engines into normal cars and sell them to anyone and everyone who either cares about the environment, cares about their wallets (see: those steep and still rising gasoline prices), or cares about technology; and in this day and age, buying a hybrid car can get you everything from a tax break in most local jurisdictions (as well as on your federal income taxes) and a pat on the back from Homeland Security; you are helping reduce our national dependance on foriegn oil, you know.
But beyond that, let’s take a look into a company that’s looking for change the way we drive; to eliminate the myths around the real benefits and drawbacks of hybrid automobiles, and take some bold steps towards the next automobile revolution.
Toyota is lookingto make the combustion engine obsolete. And good riddance too. The Prius model was so warmly embraced by auto-buyers worldwide that Toyota dealers couldn’t keep them in stock, and Toyota couldn’t manage to produce enough of them. This year, they say, the 2005 model is going to floor us all, and there’ll be enough to go around. Enough to kickstart that revolution. Why? Wired News has the scoop.