The plug-in has several problems, not the least of which is that other hybrid models based on different technology are for sale now and are doing very well. Clean diesel have become a viable alternative to hybrids, and VW is using that fact to push its cars in the US, where it market share is less than 1%. Diesels, hybrids, and new highly efficient gas engines may cut the gasoline use of America by themselves. The plug-in is a product without a market.
The plug-in is an example of what goes wrong when the government takes a popular notion and spins it as an excellent way for Congress and the Administration to show that they are visionaries about what is best for the future of the nation.
It is not at all clear the current infrastructure of the power grid can take the strain of millions of people charging their cars as they sleep. And, even if that works, there are nearly a million gas stations in the US, but not a single place with a row of plugs, a men’s and women’s bathroom and a place to buy cigarettes, maps, and candy.
Douglas A. McIntyre
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks