Jan. 10, 2010 When it comes to pumping up the appeal of plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), some regions are more ripe for
the cars than others, and some consumers' buttons need more
pushing than others -- an important policy distinction when
shaping subsidies, two energy policy experts say. In a recent
article in Energy Policy, a leading academic journal in the
energy field, Steven Skerlos in mechanical engineering at the
University of Michigan and James Winebrake, chair of the
Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy at
Rochester Institute of Technology, and make the case for a
better way to target government subsidies aimed at promoting
sustainable transportation technologies. It turns out that
giving consumers who live and drive in regions where the social
benefits of electric-boosted cars are strongest, and recognizing
the circumstances of consumers -- such as their income, life
stage and family size -- gives PHEVs a better shot at both sales
and environmental and energy security