Noted venture capitalist, founding partner of Sun microsystems, Vinod Khosla visits grist to defend his remarks on plugin hybrids versus ethanol (blogging with the bigshots, hehey).

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/27/153441/49/#comment7

15,000 more V?  Does the Audi plugin hybrid cost that much more than a regular hybrid or a comparable economy car?

With mass production would plugin hybrids cost anymore than a conventional economy car?  It's a fact, until mass production efficiencies kick in products are more expensive.  Plugin hybrids take a fifth of the batteries of a pure electric car, and those batteries need not be the very expensive quick charge type.

Plugin hybrids do not need quick charge.  They have backup liquid fuel.  A few hours charge time is no problem.

The complaint that electric cars pollute just as much if the electricity is from GHG intensive sources like coal is deceptive.  The goal of renewable energy revolution is to go renewable with the grid as well.  Your dream of cellulosic ethanol would not happen overnight, neither will a distributed renewable smart grid to charge plugin hybrids.

Thanks for your reply though.  I personally think you would be better off targeting investment dollars to a distributed renewable generation and storage internet enabled smart grid.  Plugin hybrid vehicles and high speed light rail.  And conservation in the form of geo heat exchange heating and cooling.

Climb on board and come on in for the big win with us (to paraphrase "Full Metal Jacket").  

One more thing.  20 years is the timetable we are looking at to make this complete new energy direction work.

17 million new cars are sold each year in the US.  300 million need replacement over 20 years, no problem then.  

The best part of the new Audi plugin hybrid design is this.  They simply added a rear axle plugin battery electric drive to a regular front wheel drive car.  That not only allows easy conversion of used cars, but it means automakers don't need to change their capital intensive production facilities.

They keep turning out the standard front wheel drive cars and simply add the rear wheel electric drive.  making them all wheel drive as well.  Another atractive feature for extra traction in difficult weather conditions, with ever more extreme weather this is a feature car buyers already pay more for.

Witness the great success of Subaru.  It's the silent sports/nature lovers status vehicle of choice right now.  Eco friendly folk don't want SUVs anymore.

It's not personal, it's just business, hehey. Well maybe it is personal for green car buyers, we want to keep up with the latest eco status symbol.

Gas guzzling flex fuel vehicles just don't make the grade.  Wether they guzzle oil or corn or cellulose.