January 01, 2006

The Daily Dispatch

Serving Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina and surrounding areas

Extend credits for efficiency, not gadgetry

www.hendersondispatch.com/articles/2006/01/01/news/opinion/opin01.txt


Came over my Google Alert:

Terry

 

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It rewards a combination of efficieny and low emissions. I agree that it is flawed to an extent.

I'm not sure about diesels though... don't diesels have some nasty emissions particles?

 

Diesels would be included (as would more efficient conventional gasoline and hybrids) if they met the requirements of emissions. Right now is a transition period where diesels can't be eligible because they aren't using any exhaust aftertreatment, and they can't use most devices because of the high sulphur diesel fuel. Once there is clean fuel available then the tax incentive for diesel becomes a possibility. I don't think the idea of rewarding the purchase of the cleanest, most efficient technology is flawed... I think handing out more rewards for lesser efficiency or more polluting technology would be worse, both in terms of the "costs" and the message it sends. High standards have their place, and I think people are jumping to conclusions when they think the rewards are based on "gadgetry". The truth is more complicated.

 

I don't really agree. Hybrids cost more that "normal" vehicles, the tax incentives are about softening the blow. It's about improvement. Why buy a "regular" car or truck when you could get a hybrid for only a little bit extra. A tax break on an Echo isn't going to get someone to buy it when it's not what they need. If a small car is what the person is in the market for, they might not buy a hybrid if they can get a tax break on the Echo. The way I see it, Insight, HCH, Prius > Echo, Corolla, Matrix. Yes: Echo, Corolla, Matrix > HiHy, Escape hybrid, RX400h... but they can't really be compared. HiHy, Escape hybrid, RX400h > RX330, Excape, and Highlander.

 

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I have no problem with giving the credits as are and agree that the higher mileage non-hybrids deserve a break as well, since FE is the largest piece of the pollution puzzle but not the only one. The fact that hybrids spend any portion of their active life not adding to smog emissions (SOx & NOx, etc.) and when adding these emissions do so at ~ 10% rates of non-hybrids make the current breaks reasonable to me.