A coalition to save civilization. Count me in.

Foreign oil is a red herring. It's a global market. Taxing all oil would work a little, but nowhere near enough. A strong push toward plug in hybrids would cut oil use a little.

But every drop burned in a hybrid still comes out of the ground. A robust plug-in hybrid, though, can use electricity at least part of the time, while battery technology catches up and we can move on to all-electric cars. I ordered my electic car last year and should get it by next spring sometime, but it's expensive and not practical for most people yet. In the long run, better cheaper batteries will make more of a difference.

What model did you get Jane?

Taxing all oil would work a little, but nowhere near enough. A strong push toward plug in hybrids would cut oil use a little.

What would be a better way of pushing people into plug in hybrids than a 90c per litre tax on imported oil?

What would be a better way of pushing people into plug in hybrids than a 90c per litre tax on imported oil?

This is akin to the Governor of Illinois imposing an additional tax on any vehicle that wants to pay cash at toll booths instead of using the iPass/EZ-Pass system, as a way to "convince" people to use the I-Pass system to reduce traffic congestion at toll booths. There was no additional effort made to try to make the process of GETTING an I-Pass easier, though, just a tax on anyone that didn't have the time to comply with the governor's demands.

Sin taxes still haven't eliminated smoking or drinking in this country; they only serve to line the pockets of the state. History has shown time and again that putting monetary pressure on people in an inelastic market won't change people's actions. Thus the concept of an inelastic market.

Mike, I got a Tesla. You can read all about it here

John, I didn't ask why the idea was bad, I asked what would be a BETTER idea. If you're not a fan of the Pigou club, how about bringing another constructive idea to the table.

I have read about it (and drooled over it) in the past. When you said it was pricey, I hoped that was what you got. No crappy box for you_! Yaay!(and I say this as I am about to buy a box:(, a Civic. I drive around 20-30K per annum and am looking for a cheap gas miser and it appears the Civic has won out.)

You certainly got the right one IMO. And you are supporting Mr. Musk so all the better!

God Bless early adopters!

Actually, Mike, it's not that much of an "early adopter" thing as I think the Tesla is a good value. There are only a handful of cars that can do zero to sixty in four seconds, and the Tesla, at 89,000 is cheaper than a lot of them. Combine that with penny-a-mile operating costs, no maintenance, free parking at LAX, car pool lane privileges in California, free street parking in Los Angeles, etc, and it matters less and less to me that I'll only get 250 miles per charge.

Plus, it suits my inner nerd. I hear they're working on a more affordable sedan, for what it's worth.

250 miles ain't bad as long as you don't go cross country and need a quick recharge. You can always rent a car if necessary for any occasional trips out of range.

I assume you will keep an Internal Combustion vehicle for a back up anyway.

I would really like a plug-in hybrid some day but a transfer closer to home with an assigned company vehicle would do me more good than an electric car. I am working on that transfer and hope to have it by next summer if destiny wills it.

Then I plan on putting my vehicle budget into modding out the Jeep Wrangler from Hell. I am am off-road junkie first and formost.

A diesel hybrid Wrangler type vehicle would be awesome as you would have a built in diesel generator to run appliances on.

John, I didn't ask why the idea was bad, I asked what would be a BETTER idea. If you're not a fan of the Pigou club, how about bringing another constructive idea to the table.

I'm not an Economist, and I've barely been on this planet a quarter of a century, so my "constructive ideas" are a little lacking at this point. I wish I had some, though, because I loathe nay-sayers who complain without a better way of doing things.

That said, a complete lack of ideas on my part doesn't change the fact that I think it's a bad idea, and one that history has proven won't work.