PV Gap

Edith Said:

Safety of hybrids?

We Answered:

There currently aren't any commercially available plug-in hybrids. Some Priuses have been converted to plug-in, but this voids the warranty and almost certainly decreases the battery life significantly. Plug-in hybrids will begin to be available in the next 3-5 years with the Chevy Volt and Prius plug-in model.

In the meantime, hybrids are quite similar to regular cars. In fact, many are simply altered versions of regular models (Civic, Camry, Altima, etc. hybrids). Personally I own a Prius (greenest car on the planet by the way: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070727/sc_n… ) and it doesn't feel like a tin can at all.

It's quite good in crash tests due to the many airbags (side, front, passenger, etc.), scoring "good" and 4 out of 5 stars:

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/safety…

I would highly recommend the Prius. It's safe and reliable, has lots of room due to the hatchback design (I can fit 2 bicycles inside with the back seats down), and as environmentally friendly as you can get.

Kristina Said:

What will be the "Tech Bubble" for 2010?

We Answered:

i see tulips making a comeback.

the business cycle says that after more than three and a half centuries of under-performance, tulips will be a leading indicator.

Wayne Said:

Is anyone in North Texas (Oncor Territory) going to look at their Solar Rebate?

We Answered:

Any rebates from Uncle Sam are a bonus. Sounds like the new chief with his 'return to science for energy' policy may have influenced that in the political sense.

It will make the foundry in Lubbock happy about the increase in production for PV components too.