Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
I guess I missed all the mass street rioting by truck buyers who couldn't get their mitts on a hybrid pickup.
For over 30-years, truckmakers have spent millions on efficient pickup concepts for the annual auto shows, only to to be shot down by a lack of interest there, and in consumer clinics.
I don't have a single neighbor who doesn't own a pickup. And I don't recall ever hearing a single word about any interest in hybrids or mpg.
I figured that it must be a matter of pride to pay any price for fuel without complaint.
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I don't really disagree with any of that, but this is a case where "if you build it, they will come".
Look at the stampede for EV trucks now, and as mentioned above, that 63% of Maverick orders are for the hybrid.
The fact that the first hybrid in the US was an ultra-efficient 2-seater completely missed the strength of hybrid technology; to downsize the ICE requirement and recapture kinetic energy during deceleration while maintaining acceptable performance characteristics.
Hybrids should have started with the truck, but instead we were busy trying to figure out how to get a flea to be a tiny bit more efficient. If someone had built a 27 MPG full-sized hybrid truck, with electric 4x4 and great performance, they wouldn't be able to keep them on showroom floors.
The mantra that "you got to pay to play" is only chanted in truck/jeep forums to console people. If there were fuel efficient versions available, people would change their tune.