LIMITED RANGE:
Most of the alternative cars on the market have limited ranges. Newer models of the electric car, including hybrids, are proving the exception to this rule.
ECONOMY:
Alternative vehicles generally come with price tags that are not included in the average person’s budget. Even governmental incentives like tax credits are not yet adequate economic compensation.
INFRASTRUCTURE:
There is an overall lack of the infrastructure that would be required to support national implementation of alternatively fueled vehicles. For example, the picture on the left shows the approximate number of compressed natural gas stations in the United States. For comparison, the number is similar to that of the gas stations contained in a combined corner of the states of NY and NJ. To encourage widespread use of CNG, and other alternatively fueled vehicles, would require developing/refitting on a massive scale.
VALUE AS FOOD:
Corn-ethanol and biodiesel production may be damped for a couple of reasons. The first of these is drought, which decreases the overall amount of available bio-matter (corn or other substances). Another is growing population, which leads to a greater need for the use of any edible bio-matter (like corn) to feed people. No government wants to openly make the choice between feeding, and providing fuel for, tens of thousands of people.
THE SAFE EFFECT:
People tend to place their psychological trust in proven, reliable technologies. They also tend to ignore problems with said technology -favoring ‘the evil they know’ – in the process ignoring technologies that attempt to fix said issues. This trend will most likely continue until alternative vehicles are proven safe, reliable and more efficient than traditional cars. Otherwise, people won’t pay them any attention until the oil supply runs out.
