'Green' Vehicles Have a Long Way to Go

摘要

Despite their apparent promise, and the ever-rising cost for a gallon of gas,"green" cars such as hybrid and plug-in electrics and alternative fuel vehicles are still largely relegated to commercial or municipal fleets and the garages of environmentally proactive consumers who can afford the high price."Hybrids and electric vehicles are really not selling well at all," says George Magliano, senior economist for IHS Automotive, New York. "There is too much of a price premium, even at today's high gasoline prices." People want vehicles that give them good fuel efficiency and a defense against fluctuations at the pump, but they aren't stepping up to buy them, says Shruti Vaidyanathan, senior transportation analyst for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Evidence of that is General Motors' recent decision to suspend production of the Chevrolet Volt for about six weeks starting March 19. GM reportedly fell short of its goal of selling 10,000 last year and sold only about 1,600 units of the gas-electric hybrid in January and February.