Tesla shared in this adoration, as their Roadster hit the show circuit and promised to be the start of a wonderful zero-emissions future, even though its price tag was far from mainstream. Eco-friendly was in, and Toyota basked in praise for their fuel-efficient hybrids. But it was a high-tech car within reach of everyday consumers who wanted to do something for the environment (or at least, be seen as such).
Hybrids didn’t always make economic sense as only a fraction of Prius owners would save enough on gas to offset their up-front cost. That was a future envisioned in 2006, the year of An Inconvenient Truth and a time when Hollywood stars would arrive at the red carpet in a hybrid instead of a limousine. An obituary buried in corporate euphemisms is a whimper of an end for what was once their technological flagship car of the future.Ģ006: Gas-Electric Hybrids Hit Their Stride, Battery Electrics On The Horizon Here at Hackaday, we choose to memorialize the soon-to-be-departed Chevrolet Volt. But there is also another milestone marked by the cancellation of the Volt. The human factor associated with the closing of these plants is real. At the forefront of news coverage on this are the consequences facing factories making those cars, and the people who work there. A month ago General Motors announced plans to wind down production of several under-performers.