Peter Ker December 12, 2011 Half the cars on the world's roads
will be environmentally friendly hybrids or electric vehicles by
2040, according to oil giant Exxon Mobil. The prediction - part
of a broader energy manifesto released by the company in recent
days - would see conventional petrol and diesel cars lose a
large chunk of their 98 per cent hold on the personal vehicle
market. But Exxon Mobil says most of the growth in green cars
will come from the hybrid market, with the adoption of electric
vehicles likely to be limited by practicality and cost issues.
''The vast majority will be hybrids that use mainly gasoline
plus a small amount of battery power. ''These will make up more
than 40 per cent of the global fleet by 2040,'' the report said.
''Exxon Mobil expects to see growth in plug-in hybrids and
electric vehicles, along with compressed natural gas and
liquefied petroleum gas powered vehicles. ''However, these will
account for only about 5 per cent of the global fleet in 2040.''
While the projections