To those concerned about the cost of building and powering the new generation of hybrid and all-electric cars, I recommend two websites:

http://www.pluginamerica.org/links.shtm

and

http://www.sherryboschert.com/works.html

Both sites provide detailed references addressing your questions.

Paul M. Rybski, Whitewater, WI, USA

Why don't I understand a word of what RM of Lincoln just told me?

Roger, Arese, Italy

Louis Blanc, Liverpool

Try towing a 2 ton trailer full of sound equipment with a 1.6 litre engine you smug eco-fool. Just because you don't need the torque generated doesn't mean other people don't!!!

Rob, Gloucester, England (unfortunately)

A quick calculation based on Automobile Association (AA) figures shows that a 25 percent increase in fuel prices has increased my total motoring costs by 7 percent (193 pounds) a year.

If I were to trade in my Range Rover for a Prius today it would never pay for itself in my lifetime. So why do it?

Tim, London, UK

The more problems that the American public have associated with fuel prices the quicker the environmental issues concerning pollution will be addressed. The American life style, now adopted by most nations of the world, is destroying the planet. America must lead the change in life styles and soon.

Jim Wills, Brisbane, Australia

Automotive greening of America, they don't care about emissions only the price of gas. And to be global about it, why should a Fiesta driver in Croydon, England, pay a fuel tax and be persuaded by the government it is a moral duty.

jane, Whittlesey, UK

Want an immediate solution? Switch to two wheels. I just bought a cheap used motorcycle for $1000 which gets 35-45 mpg and I've been having the time of my life. Maybe it won't pay for itself, but if you've been thinking about getting a bike, do yourself a favor and seize the moment!

Thomas Farnsworth, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

The time is coming when a new speed limit of 60mph will be installed in all motor vehicles apart from police and emergency wagons

ken conway, ayr, Scotland

Time to buy GTL resources on the London AIM....at 33p they
represent the best managed of the E85 producers and they live a few miles from Chicago....fully financed through to completion of 100m gallons.

RM, Lincoln, Lincs

A recent major European media comparison of the Toyota Prius and a BMW 3 Series Diesel (not avail in the US) showed how we are cheating ourselves in the US. The BMW Diesel got 10 more miles to the gallon and ran circles around the Toyota Prius at a near comparable price. Give me a BMW Diesel any day

William, Hobe Sound, Florida, USA

What a joke - highly 'efficient' hybrid that does 18mpg. There is talk here in the USA of engines that might one day be doing 40mpg.. WAKE UP - this has been the norm in Europe for many years.
How many of the large SUV's or trucks actually have any more than 4-5 seats as per a normal saloon?

Paul, Houston, usa

In the US, electrically powered cars are a cruel joke. They are no greener than the power plants which feed them. They just move the pollution sources elsewhere. The problem is there is no "elsewhere" on this planet anymore.

david, Sunnyvale, United States

Most of the problem lies in America's conservative (as a whole) society and its reluctance to accept new or different ideas; especially when dealing with global or national issues like fuel consumption and oil price. Maybe $5-6 per gallon gas is what America needs to finally show some change.

N.R, Burnsville, MN, USA

With the corruption usually found in U.S. politics and bureaucracies, one wonders why a California emmision's ruling on diesel engines has eliminated the possibility of more these more efficient diesel engines for the entire rest of the country. Is this really due to the ethanol lobby's payoffs?

Jim, Roscoe, USA

Louis Blanc, what is the cost, in green terms, of the production and disposal of all of the batteries required for your hybrids?

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

SUV hybrids do 18 mpg in the city! Aren't Americans meant to be really suffering from sub prime fallout instead of pre-ordering these monsters? How bad does the economy have to get before there is no longer a "traditional" holiday dedicated to buying new vehicles?

Diana, Derby, uk

Louis Blanc, why do you want to force everyone to have a hybrid? You can buy a BMW diesel or lots of other cars that do a good 60 mpg imperial, better than hybrids, and they go better too. Soon there will be other solutions out there so no point forcing everyone down a road that will be superceded.

James, Limoges, France

What happened to all of those wonderful steam engines invented for cars, that allegedly disappeared not long after they got invented; and all of the perpetual motion gizmos?
Myth has it the US oil companies bought up the patents only to hide the plans away.
Maybe we will see them yet.

G.Gibson, Sydney, Australia

Finally the chickens have come home to roost....for decades America has been in denial over oil, climate change and anything else that affects their cosseted lifestyles...welcome to the world...perhaps now that you are hurting we will finally get some action from your President.

James, St Peters,

Yes Louis Blanc, but at the same time we also need to force through legislation that woman are no longer allowed to use hairdryers as the energy they use is certainly wasteful when a dry towel will do.

GM, Brisbane,

I drive a non-hybrid that gets over 60mpg imperial, and have done for years. It's a regular 5-door hatchback available throughout Europe. There are millions on the roads here. But the Americans don't want them, they'd rather do things less simply with all this hybrid stuff than use diesel.

Paul M, Puerto del Rosario, Spain

Americans and their God... America, the largest producer and the largest importer of oil on the planet, a country which accounts for close to 40% of word oil-burning.

Rui, Lisbon, Portugal

I have been saying this for years that ....Every government has to force legislation through that every motor manufacturer has to produce cars with a max engine size of 1600cc and they have to be hybrid engines within next 3 years.

louis blanc, Liverpool, UK

I do believe that this is the beginning of new era. Cheap oil has gone and we are on a way to new forms of energy generation and utilisation. Hybrids will buy us some time, but they also cannot live without petrol, so maybe in 30 or 50 years we'll see new types of cars.

Rassul, Rakhimov, Kazakhstan

The price of gas will drop some and Americans will revert to their old habit of buying automotive inefficiency. After all, we do have a god right to gas guzzling vehicles and cheap fuel to put in them.

Bruce Northwood, Washington, D.C., USA