Americans Don't Want Efficient Cars

One of the more pernicious myths that's harder to kill is the idea that American's don't want efficient cars, and that policies to try and shift Americans towards a greener future are doomed to fail because of that. Two data points relevant to this belief:

1: Half of Americans want hybrid cars.

The CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found 48 percent of Americans have cut back significantly on the amount they drive because of higher gas prices. The figure is 59 percent for those living in households earning less than $50,000 per year and 36 percent for those making $50,000 or more.

More than half of all Americans (54 percent) said they have reduced household spending on other items because of high gas prices.

Hybrids, meanwhile, aren't selling because of the added cost, even though 57 percent of those polled said they would seriously consider one.

That last sentence, of course, is a mistake. While some people obviously can't afford hybrids at the current premium, that's not to say that "hybrids aren't selling." There's months-long lineups for most models.

Data point 2: A used 2003 Toyota RAV4-EV was auctioned on Ebay for almost $68,000. This is the short-lived electric model that Toyota built to comply with California law. The story of the various EVs made by Ford, GM, and Toyota is a depressing one, and there's a documentary coming out called "Who Killed the Electric Car?" I would reccomend people go see it. In any case, the fact that the few remaining EVs are still floating around - and are beloved by their owners - does speak to the potential.