I believe their simulations are based on using diesel or biodiesel as their fuel not gasoline.

siromega the Prius qualifies for a $2500 fed rebate with the new 4.4kWh battery. In highway driving after the electric charge is gone the Volt gets about 37mpg and the Prius 49.

I'm referring to the species that contribute in a healthful way to the planet's ecology. Here in Minnesota we do have mosquitoes that I swat(it doesn't endanger the species)and many people would like to see mosquitoes completely eliminated but their larva feed aquatic life and the adults provide food for bats, swallows etc. Eliminating them would likely cause a ripple effect with other species impacted. Eliminating humans on the other hand would likely have a positive overall effect on the ecology of the state and if eliminated from the planet it too would reap the benefits of recovering from our destructive behavior. All of the other species of the planet are more important than humans in providing a positive effect on the planet's ecology. As a species we're most important in providing a negative impact on the health of that ecology. In 1900 there were 1.5 billion humans on this planet. In 2000 6 billion, 4 times as many in just 100 years. By 2100 there could be 24 billion but more likely 12-18 billion. If one were watching from orbit since 1900 or sooner one would say there is a cancer growing on this planet especially visible along the coast lines. That cancer is us. In the US we have 800 cars per 1000 individuals, China 50, India 15. They want to be like us, have a standard of living like ours. The planet won't survive it. We won't survive it. We can't grow enough of anything to provide sufficient fuel for our autos. Last year we built 73,000,000 vehicles in the world. By 2020 even if 10% are electric that other 90% will be greater than last years 73M. This is insane. Currently humans provide no useful benefit, serve no useful purpose for this planet.

Marginal land is a matter of perspective. If you're one of many species living on that land plowing and planting it in a single crop most certainly will have a detrimental effect on the ecology. A little common sense please, we're not the most important species on the planet.

I believe Stan is correct on this one. http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/09/stop-start-epa-test-cycle-mpg-problem/ The problem is that the EPA's current testing methods don't accurately assess the real-world fuel-saving benefits of stop-start technology, which shuts the engine off when the vehicle is stopped. The EPA only has limited idle time built into their fuel use tests, which means that most models equipped with start-stop get absolutely no bump in their official fuel economy ratings. Without any sort of official support, automakers see no boost in CAFE numbers for their start-stop vehicles. Currently, only three non-hybrid vehicles sold in the U.S. – the BMW M3, the Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Panamera – feature stop-start technology. The lack of incentives, according to John Gartner, an analyst at Pike Research, will likely keep most automakers from equipping U.S. models with stop-start tech. However, Gartner claims that most American buyers would "embrace vehicles that don't burn fuel when stopped" if they were available.

I always appreciate a company that can sing.

Henry you might also be interested in CNT(carbon nanotube lead) batteries from Micro Bubble Technologies. 94.12 Wh per pound and charges in 15-45 minutes. Kelly, these aren't available yet but they have shipped some from Korea to the US for final evaluation. Perhaps available to some this summer.

Roger Comparing health insurance to owning a car is ludicrous. I own two cars, a 1983 Toyota pickup and a 1991 Honda Civic hatchback. They're reliable, economical and of course have little value but they get me around. Insurance on them costs me about $20 per month. I have no health insurance. Full coverage health insurance would cost me more than $1000 per month. I don't make $1000 a month so having health insurance isn't really a choice for many(50,000,000) of us.