Quote:
Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob
Hybrids followed the usual pattern. Engineers got interested in them for the efficiency, and offered them as such, with little success. Then the glamour got going, with regenerative braking in Formula One, and the "Insane Level" button in the Teslas. This affected even the image of the Prius, boosting sales. The high price is not a real problem, because most people buy cars that "prove" how much spare cash they have, and quite a few people who could afford a mid-range car also had enough guilt about their lifestyles to find a "green" alternative attractive.
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Then hybrid technology got cheap enough that it doesn’t make sense to buy the conventional engine. The new Accord, CRV, Escape, etc payback the purchase premium in a couple of years