In a major setback for Toyota, the biggest potential client for its wares -- General Motors -- reiterated what was widely known inside the industry, that it wasn't interested in using the Japanese company's hybrid technology, that it was working on better technology itself.
As interesting as all that is, I believe it's surpassed by the reality presented by the bigger picture of pollution that I saw on my drive. On every block I passed, someone was doing something that easily produces more pollution than was coming out of the back of the 2,500-kg pickup I was driving. They were burning briquettes for a barbecue, using a gas-powered lawnmower or other equipment, or running a generator to operate a work tool.
That got me thinking that in places far removed from the big cities, these kinds of activities were going on in even greater numbers. Where, I wondered, was the political will to address those problems? I'm all for forcing car companies to improve their technology to reduce pollution, but shouldn't the public also make an effort on its own?
As it happens, the GM Silverado Hybrid I was driving creates power that can actually reduce the amount of pollution that comes from barbecues, power tools and generators.
Imagine, then, what kind of pollution could be avoided if people used the power from a GM hybrid to run electric grills for their hamburgers, or electric mowers for distant lawns, or the lights around their campground.
The environmental benefits of that would easily surpass the kind of questionable and expensive gains that we're seeing from media-hyped hybrids from Toyota or anyone else.
It's perhaps understandable for us to look for a silver bullet that will cure a problem like pollution in one easy blow, but hybrid vehicles are not the weapon to do that. Perhaps fuel cells will be, and perhaps not. But until that weapon is created, we need to take a broader view.
As interesting as all that is, I believe it's surpassed by the reality presented by the bigger picture of pollution that I saw on my drive. On every block I passed, someone was doing something that easily produces more pollution than was coming out of the back of the 2,500-kg pickup I was driving. They were burning briquettes for a barbecue, using a gas-powered lawnmower or other equipment, or running a generator to operate a work tool.
That got me thinking that in places far removed from the big cities, these kinds of activities were going on in even greater numbers. Where, I wondered, was the political will to address those problems? I'm all for forcing car companies to improve their technology to reduce pollution, but shouldn't the public also make an effort on its own?
As it happens, the GM Silverado Hybrid I was driving creates power that can actually reduce the amount of pollution that comes from barbecues, power tools and generators.
Imagine, then, what kind of pollution could be avoided if people used the power from a GM hybrid to run electric grills for their hamburgers, or electric mowers for distant lawns, or the lights around their campground.
The environmental benefits of that would easily surpass the kind of questionable and expensive gains that we're seeing from media-hyped hybrids from Toyota or anyone else.
It's perhaps understandable for us to look for a silver bullet that will cure a problem like pollution in one easy blow, but hybrid vehicles are not the weapon to do that. Perhaps fuel cells will be, and perhaps not. But until that weapon is created, we need to take a broader view.