Why should I stop using my car? Why should I even consider not using my car when it is cheaper to hire a car for the day, put fuel in it, and drive from Manchester to London and back than it is to buy a one way or return train ticket. And on top of that, in my car I can go doorstep to doorstep and always get a seat. The same goes for sending big parcels. It was cheaper for me to hire a van, put fuel in it, and drive a parcel to London the other day and pay myself £50 for doing it than it was to get it delivered by a big delivery company, using trucks filled with other parcels all going down the same motorway that I used. I don%26#039;t understand how this is possible.

How are we expected to respect or use public transport when this is the situation. And why is it that the government won%26#039;t put pressure on public transport operators to bring down the cost of tickets, rather than penalising the individual using his or her car.

No dumb answers please, I want real opinions with real reasoning behind them.
has a good overview of PHEVs and their benefits.

%26quot;Charging the battery each night would cost less than $1.00 at current rates. PHEVs outfitted with a battery pack providing a 40-mile electric range could power, using the all-electric mode, more than 60% of the total annual miles traveled by the average American driver.%26quot;

%26quot;A 2004 study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) found that plug-in hybrids can achieve life cycle costs parity with conventional gasoline vehicles – meaning that over the life of the car the cost will be equal or less despite the initial higher cost. The study calculated gasoline price as $1.75/gallon.%26quot;
Now that gas is twice that much, the fuel savings would save you money overall.

For long distance, I believe the U.S. should build high speed passenger rail. We should also be using more rail for long distance freight. It is much more fuel efficient than trucks. Like an order of magnitude more efficient.

An interesting development in bus technology is hybrid buses, using a natural gas powered microturbine to charge and assist the electric drive batteries. A company called Capstone Turbine just got their first big order from a bus company for 150 microturbines.
These microturbines can run on all different kinds of liquid and gaseous fuels. They have one moving part, the shaft, which spins the turbine blades and generator armature. There is no lubrication ever. It runs on an air cushion bearing, and is air cooled. No fluids necessary. Greatly increased fuel efficiency and is pretty clean burning.

http://www.microturbine.com/

They also make these for cogeneration systems for buildings, factories, shopping centers, large stores etc.
Their microturbines range in size from 30 to 200 kilowatts. They can be combined for bigger demand applications; stand alone or connected to the grid.

Well you can%26#039;t get a DWI when you are riding public transportation. Really though that is the only reason I ever use it, otherwise it is gay.