GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars - View Single Post - $1000 tax rebate in on Hybrids for IL residents!

gumby · #15 (**permalink**) 05-03-2008, 05:33 PM

I hate BIG gov't as much as you Mikesan, but consider how many worse things our taxpayer dollars ARE supporting. This is a small fish in the giant ocean of gov't "waste."

Hybrids sell fine ... NOW.
Try selling them 10 years ago, or 5, or even 3.
Without the incentive, many more people would've passed, and the technology might not be as far along as it is today - due to the lack of sales. Auto manufacturers don't continue making vehicles that do not sell (look at the Insight & the Accord Hybrid). If people had not been buying the Prius in sufficient numbers, Toyota probably would've killed its development too. The Ford Escape, Saturn VUE, Altima Hybrid, Highlander & Camry Hybrid, Civic Hybrid II might never have even made it to market without such incentives.
Sure, they might be reintroducing some hybrids about now, but they certainly wouldn't be as advanced (nor as many models) as there are today.
There ARE times when nudging from the gov't (or wherever) is necessary to get the ball rolling in the right direction. That's essentially what these incentives are - plus more cleaner cars help with pollution issues to boot - many big cities have been looking at ways to encourage citizens to be greener. And incentives help nudge us along. If we wait for the masses to begin making better choices, sometimes it is WAY too late. It's already pretty late to be as fledgling as these cars still are. And that's WITH incentives.