Hybrid owners are now only 35% likely to make a repeat purchase. Factoring out the Prius that number drops to 25%. Considering that information, Toyota takes an odd turn. Now Toyota looking at more radical design changes. Toyota has had more success with the Prius than any other hybrid has in the world. Prius buyers are also incredibly loyal. Prius is also lauded as a great car to convert to an electric car. And Camry is the best selling car in North America. When looking at competitive stats remember that Toyota competes with GM an Chrysler who got propped up by bailouts. Some people think an over emphasis on design and cyclical redesign drives down resale value and drives a away value buyers. Toyota would be smart to remember why customers keep coming back. For Toyota’s best customers purchase decisions are all about value. And their competitors struggle mightily to catch up. I have already blogged on GM struggles for value here and here.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Price drops in Germany for electricity as a long term trend. The blue line is price and the columns are solar electricity capacity. This is matches up with increased use of solar power. 80% of the installed panels are on rooftops. Houses in California have higher resale when they solar panels installed. Perhaps because of fear of rolling blackouts. Germany has complicated of incentives designed to trail off as the technology becomes more widely implemented, kind of like a dutch auction. Germany is an good case study for the US. It has basically no oil fields, so it must make something out of nothing energy wise. Still this only about 3.2% of Germany’s electrical use.
Source: cleantechnica.com
A check list to increase your MPG TODAY. Most of these things involve buying nothing. Many people think they have little or no control over their fuel cost but there are several things people can do to save a little bit of money without changing where they drive or what they drive. Warning: may cause Nempimania.
Source: knol.google.com
Motorcycles should be allowed to use HOV lanes. Motorcycles typically get double the fuel economy of cars and trucks. This makes more sense than a gas tax increase, which would take money out of the hands of tax payers. If this incentive causes 2% of commuters to get on a bike this would reduce gasoline use by 1%. As there are about 6 million motorcyclists in the US, 2% seem like a sound estimate. Plus, unlike carpooling that requires extra driving to pick up passengers, your bike starts out in your garage. When a person looks at combining this with additional drilling, converting some vehicles to CNG and expanded use of bio-fuels, controlling gas prices is feasible. There are more solutions to come.
Source: dart.org
This paints a pretty clear picture of what is possible, with energy policy and fair royalties from energy companies using government lands for drilling. I provided links to all the sources I got data from. Lynch’s estimate is an optimistic case 5-6 years out. The key here is for the government to collect a fair royalty, as the economist article explains that does not always happen.
Source: economist.com
