Has the recent economic crisis hindered the advancement of green auto technology? I'm not really sure. The fact that a complete changeover to hybrid or all electric vehicles, etc. was a long term proposition in the first place may lead one to believe the process may take even longer now. This is because dollars are being spent on more urgent issues and consumers aren't spending at all. If someone doesn't want to spend the money on a new car what makes us think they would want to spend a few extra bucks on a hybrid. With GM being in grave danger one would have to assume that they will cut spending on future concepts and development if they haven't already. The Chevy Volt was to be a groundbreaking automobile in the industry, moving it in the direction of cars that are less dependent on gasoline. It has been modified from its original design to be more practical. Yet the definition of practical may have changed recently. What exactly is practical now in these "tough economic times". The most practical thing now may be public transportation or our own God given legs! People may be less and less likely to see the complete picture. They may not want to spend more at first even if they know they will save more in the long run. The economy is so unstable no one is even sure if there will be a long run. No one knows how bad things will get but then again those of us who care about our environment have always worried more about what is truly "green", not just green paper. The Chevy Volt is still slated for release next year. Maybe its lower than original price and economic fuel efficiency will take advantage of the slow economy and become a huge success in the market. With the president's stimulus package lets hope we will see brighter, greener days in the near future! 

Last update : 03-14-2009 00:00

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