Well... Toyota and Honda might have initally lost money on hybrids, but now that their respective systems have proven to work *very well* over a long period of time, I imagine that they can quickly turn big profits by licensing out the technology to companies that either waited too long, were too lazy to develop, too incompetent to develop, or just plain too cheap to develop their own fully-functional hybrid systems. Let's face it: Honda's IMA drive is a completely awesome mild hybrid system. When GM's crap, psudo-"mild" hybrid (BAS) falls flat, who do you think they'll turn to? Likewise, Toyota's Synergy drive is like something out of Star Trek, when compared to BAS. I really think that when the GM/DC/Wannabes' half-baked systems crack up, there will be two licensed products: IMA for mild hybrid applications and Synergy for full hybrid applications.

I sort of look at it like developing software. Sure, you have to pay a lot of people a lot of money to make the product, but the licensing quickly puts the project into the black.

 

No kidding, apparently they decide that is written somewhere that Ford can have exactly what it wants no matter what. It seems like good capitalism to fill the biggest order first and give them first dibs, I mean, they are giving you more money. Ford's 20K seems like a drop in the bucket to the 300K orders Toyota has for this year (and 400K for next year).

 

I agree that BAS is more or less crap but that does not mean it will fall flat. It never ceases to amaze me what some will buy. Just the Hybrid badge should be enough many will buy.

 

I put a thread out today that the GM VP said they can't expect to sell more than 750,000 SUV's a year...and they might have to steal market share from competitors to do it. Without a serious hybrid SUV, how are they going to do that? Why do I feel like Dilbert reasoning with the Pointy-Haired Boss?

 

Or... Americans could just get into the education game and become the engineers and science experts of the future and keep up with China, India, etc. God forbid somebody would accept a changing world and adapt rather than remain in a dying occupation. As for Ford, they snoozed and they lost, tough luck. It's not as though Ford hasn't dropped the ball before.

 

At least *I* was smart enough to change careers out of an industry that is about to implode (that being the cellular phone industry). I got into law enforcement this year. As the Republicans turn our country into a Third World hell hole, you can bet that the need for law enforcement will only exponentially increase!

 

I heard a speaker last week address a conference of physicists on the issue of science education in America and the reason why our entire economy is dependent on getting more kids in this country more interested in and proficient at math, science and engineering. His suggestion was basically more and targeted funding at a federal level, because if people don't realize what a priority this is, we'll never get enough support to fight it through every local school district in the country.

The hybrid industry is just one way in which Japanese scientists (and therefore manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers) got the jump on us, but it's not going to be the last, given our pathetic education rankings in those areas. We could have developed hybrids here on this scale (and I know there was some progress in the past) but we didn't have the industry support because of some short-sighted executives and a lack of federal clearheadedness in terms of incentives, etc. I'm just happy there's still innovation *somewhere* in the world and I have access to it in the US market. I'd like to buy American, but when it comes down to it, I'm going to buy the car that's the most responsible.

 

My niece--a very bright young woman--was livid that her grandfather said women are no good at math & science. I asked her what sort of math & science classes she's signed up for in college. "None. It's too hard." I would've felt compelled to prove the old misogynist wrong, but hey, it's not my call. She's studying something to do with sports.

Science, technology, and medicine aren't sexy. They're not what the cool kids do.

And when you're in a society that happily turns its back on science (global warming), technology (outsourcing), and medicine (stem-cell research) in favor of people's "gut feeling", is it really any wonder that we're falling behind?

But as for Ford whining about not being able to get the parts, what did they really expect? It serves them right for not doing the work themselves.

 

If large-format batteries, compact electrical motors, or vehicle computers are in short supply (and can be sold for a profit), I would expect such a parts shortage to be of short duration. Someone will step in to fill the need and make a buck. Hard to know exactly who, though.

Next Saturday I will take the CBEST (standardized test) in Sacramento, as a first steps towards teaching math and science at the primarly/secondary level in CA or NV. Having previously taught at the university level does not appear to count for much. Hide your kids!

DAS

 

Throughout her childhood I exposed my daughter to the Arts to make her well rounded while she pursued a career in math and science. She just graduated college with a degree in fine arts.