We re looking at what it will take to get people to buy these cars. We re also looking at fuel choices not picking a winner or loser but examining what it would take to set up the infrastructure. We re fuel-neutral, he says. Everybody thinks the long-term solution is hydrogen, but there are a variety of ways to make hydrogen. Not yet is the consensus among manufacturers and dealers.
Social factors can have as much impact on buying decisions as fuel costs.
Although conventional wisdom says fossil fuels will one day be exhausted, many consumers are not yet willing to accept changes in their driving lifestyle, Theis of University Honda notes. For this technology to go to the next level, says Toyota of Berkeley s Nelson, big things have to happen with oil companies and the transportation infrastructure. DaimlerChrysler s Heiler agrees. You can help technology along, but you can t force it. Nevertheless, the trends in alternative-fuel research point to an era of change ahead.