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Ok. Nobody else is taking this side so I will.
I think electric/hybrid cars are nothing more than a marketing ploy.
Corporate America is well versed on targeting the current consumer trend which, currently, is anything "green". For example, not that long ago the market was awash in SUV's because that was the current trend. In the 60's it was muscle cars. The price of gas spiked and there is ongoing debate about global warming and the impact autos have on this. Now everyone wants smaller, "green" vehicles.
Nuclear power is flat out unrealistic. Hydrogen power is a way off. The technology is still too new to be practical.
Battery power is actually more harmful to the enviroment than gas powered vehicles. First you have to mine the materials, then ship them to a factory to be assembled and finally it is shipped to the auto plant to be placed in the vehicle. Then there is the problem of disposing of the batteries when they are no longer useful.
The auto companies could build very high mileage cars if they thought it would bring a profit. The US consumer typically equates high mileage with small and slow. With all the advances in automotive technology over the past 20 years or so, it is not unrealistic to think much higher mileage could be obtained. Compare the drivetrain of a modern vehicle with one from the 70's and the best they can do is a paltry 10-15mpg improvement?
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