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July 22, 2006
GM: Hybrids Are Concession to Moonbattery
General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has admitted that GM is building hybrids not because they are economically sane, but out of sheer moonbattery:
Hybrids are technologically of doubtful benefit, and expensive, but necessary from a political and public relations point of view. Toyota has said, economically, hybrids make no sense. The reduction in fuel [consumption] does not pay for the technological content and cost of the vehicle so therefore economically it remains fairly nonsensical, so that's the left-brain analytical argument.
The right brain is it's the popular thing to do, many people believe that if we all drove hybrids the world would suddenly get cooler again and then it's the patriotic thing to do because if you drive a hybrid you will no longer be funding the Arab terrorists, and so forth.
So, with all those beliefs out there, you have to do a hybrid for public policy reasons.
As for driving hybrids to pour less money into the pockets of Islamic terrorists, if we really wanted to stop paying our own executioners, we would stand up to the environmental lobby and lift restrictions on drilling for oil at home.
Posted by Van Helsing at July 22, 2006 8:38 AM
Comments
Also, it is because of moonbattery that Global Warming is treated as a moral crusade instead of an engineering challenge.
I mean, suppose global temps are going to increase by a degree or two over the next century. The moonbat approach is pretty much, "Repent, the end is near!" i.e. Everybody except Al Gore and Robert Kennedy will have to give up cars, air travel, and a decent standard of living ("Repent") or humanity will be destroyed ("The End is near.")
Wouldn't it be more practical to say "OK. How can we develop more efficient air conditioning to cope with this? How can we adjust agriculture by shifting north or adapting new crops or irrigation." And so forth.
Of course it would be more practical, and beneficial in the long run. But it wouldn't give moonbats the opportunity to preen self-righteously over their pious environmentalism.
Posted by: V the K at July 22, 2006 10:15 AM
By the way, Hybrids Are No More Energy Efficient Than Regular Cars But, hybrids are a symbol of pious environmentalism, a bit like Victorian ladies covering piano and turkey legs to prove how uber-modest they were.
Posted by: V the K at July 22, 2006 10:22 AM
Watch out for smug alerts.
Posted by: Dangerous Dan at July 23, 2006 5:35 PM
