Correction:
what I meant to say was(Even simple Hybrids are not selling that well now!)

I doubt if the cost of gasoline will go down although I would be happy to pay $2.00 less per gallon than I presently pay. China is adding 6 million cars per year to its fast developing highway system. It is no longer a bicycle nation.

The good old cheepy gas days are gone and are not to return, no matter how nostalgic we feel for the past. We just have to pick ourselves up and move on.

It would behoove our government to push PHEV's for the post office because we know that since the time of the pony express, the mail has always come through and will continue to do so. I don't think we should depend on foreign oil for our mail. Do you?

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Gas prices may ease but the trend is still upward.The alternative energy train has left the station.People no longer see the birthright of cheap oil.Two price shocks within a year have finally caused folks to consider an alternative way.
The move to invest in batteries was accelerated by the energy bill of 2005.The enhanced security act is going to pass and will accelerate such investment.Investors wait for government to legislate a stable business environment when it comes to energy.
It is then up to manufacturers to build a new tech that is appealing{prius,escape,lexus,camry} to a broad consumer audience.The price premium will continue to narrow as the tech becomes widely introduced.
I am a republican/libertarian and I will buy one tomorrow.When I talk to people on the right I try to persuade them that being dependent on on a region religiously sworn to our subjugation is a recipe for disaster.I have children in the military and if paying a premium for alternatives can lessen the need to fight for necessary energy supplies Im all in.
Environmentalism used to mean condemning attacks from the left and snarky dismissive jokes from the right.Now you have setamericafree.com a righty site warning that we are paying for both sides of a war with our purchase of oil.Then you have a basket of alternative energy sites that trend left warning that we need to be independent of oil.Both sides are singing the praises of phevs.
The train has left the station and left and right are sitting together on it.When America agrees on a thing it gets done.

This is a step in the right direction. Already many government (federal, state, and local) use alternative vehicles such as gasoline-electric hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles, and CNG power. This trend should continue since it will help lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

production subsidies for non-economic technologies do not directly advance the state of the art. everyone knows this, they just hope, after the companies benefiting from the subsidies take their cut, that some fraction will go back into R&D to create genuinely economic solutions.

it's a scam.

... and it is far better, if money is to be spent, to direct it 100% toward R&D for those future economic solutions.

premature production just lines pockets.

Whaaaa? Gas below $2.50, I hate to disapoint you but short of a global recession due to $180 dollars a barell which would not be good for oil companies either, it's not going to happen. It will take another ten years just to rebuild and develope the infrastructure to keep us at $65.00-75.00. The issue is becoming more dire each day we sit around waiting for oil to fall below $50.00. Just ask yourself, why is the DOD going hybrid? When the feds make a serious move to conserve and switch to hybrid technology I would take note.

The fact is that this current and the future [2008]should invest heavily in restructuring and expanding the grid among other investments in alternative fuel programs. The main thing is to focus on renweable energy production, wind & solar, so that at least we can try to curb powerplants emissions. The Europeans have done this for years now. For example Holland or Denmark, produces 50% of their energy via wind.
This country is so vast and so potentially perfect for alternative energy sources, but as usual, the forces up there that make all the decisions are basically ruining this country by allowing the constant addiction oil for everything. As I said before, the Saudis have one trillion dollar invested in American companies, which are directly or indirectly connected to the oil industry. So, when Speaker of the House take a Fuel Cell concept car for a spin and then leave driving an huge gas guzzler SUV, it makes sense to think that politicians have no direct interest [for now] in truly change the way Americans drive, but maybe in 20/30? years when most of the oil will be absorbed by China and India this country will wake up and say: oh S**t!
The point is that I am tired of reading and listening to people who just yap about what we should do about this matter... just do something!

1000 billion dollars speak louder than
100 million people who vote.
A vote that can be easily manipulated or distracted by arousing other fears that are really non-issues.
Simply put, Americans are addicated to roaring cars
and gas.
This is THE One-Two punch which Big oil has and uses.
So forgetta 'bout windmills and solar.
There nothing more convinient, energy packed and manly as raw gas.

The switch to REPLACEMENT ENERGY sources will occur if one of to events happen:
1) An Oil shortage so deep and so long that the Government will switch policies.
or
EVs stop being nerdy and become sexy and Macho by beating IC cars in major races.
ITS ALL ABOUT MARKETING, AND THE BIG PLAYERS DON"T WANT TO MARKET REPLACEMENT ENERGY SOURCES. PERIOD.

Mr. Earl, I congratulate you on looking into energy conservation measures for your company; I'm glad people are doing this.

I think there is a difference between electric conservation, especially in the commercial market, and petroleum conservation on a personal level. I've seen news stories about people adjusting their driving habits, but I think that, in general, gas hasn't gotten to the price where our society is going to make big changes in how we drive. Yes, interest in hybrids is up, that's great, and sales of the very biggest SUV's are falling, that's really great, but I don't think gasoline consumption is declining. So, my point is that prices will not plummet because consumption is not declining, even by a small percentage. I wish it was -- it can't be hard to reduce gas consumption by 1 or 2% and I think that would have an interesting impact on the petroleum market, but I don't see anyone in the government talking about this. I think our leaders are scared of conjuring up images of Jimmy Carter in a cardigan sweater.

As for me, oil independence of America is the most important. Wind and solar energy are irrelevant, because US does not use oil for electricity generation and EV is just a deceiving dream. Reduced fuel consumption has nothing to do with oil dependency too: oversea oil always will be cheaper then most of domestic, so by reducing our fuel consumption we will lower cost of crude – to great Chinese advantage, and push our domestic oil producers oversea. What is needed is incentives for domestic oil producers, and only after that measure reduction of fuel consumption and alternative fuels will work for oil independence.

Instead of raising interest rates to cool down American economy, feds could impose sensible duty for all imported oil. As I mentioned before, Canada and Mexico (but not Venezuela) will be conveniently excluded from duty due to NAFTA agreement.

Thank you. Corrected.

Mr. Earl:  Please use a space after a full stop, thanks.

And tonychilling wrote one of the worst non-sequiturs I've seen outside of creationist rants:

1) Even at over $3/gal, people are not snapping up all the simple(not plugable) hybrids made. So I do not think consumers will buy even the more expensive PHEV, even at $3/gal.

2) Therefore, after summer, we can all agree that gas will go below $3 or your $2.50, It removes great pressure for consumers to by cars Hybrids or PHEVs.

3) With no demand for new tech batteries for PHEVs, the stockholders of these battery companies, who, in some cases have millions invested, will just jump at the chance to sell to the first decent offer. This attitude of (bailing out because of no market for the product) will allow the Energy Giants to buy the new battery patents on the cheap, thus controlling the fate of EVs.