by Peter D
Car enthusiasts, at least people who like to call themselves such, don’t much care for hybrids. The whole concept of prioritizing fuel economy is so contrary to The V8 Wagon Doctrine that the Prius is frequently and unimaginatively scapegoated and fear mongered into the petrolhead equivalent of Mao Zedong. Fear the purge of all that is culture!
But what is culture? It might be the foundation and history of motoring, frequently littered with heroes and icons, or it might be an idea – that idea being emancipation from fixed location. It’s a powerful idea, a liberating one. It’s the kind of idea that people fight for because it so completely captures the human imagination.
So is that what’s really feared? Not a battery-based technology to improve fuel economy, but the loss of our freedom? Quite possibly. Fear is an intoxicating emotion. One of the most obvious case studies of this is George W. Bush’s “weapons of mass destruction” argument. The Former President took his nation to war based on pure dread of the unknown.
Similarly, enthusiasts of “all” that is motoring (except batteries, of course), have blindly shunned hybrids, and by extension, 100% electric vehicles.