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Unintended Consequences of Hybrid Vehicles

Written by: Brad Feld

Article Overview: I heard a "superb" cynical statement today. I have no idea if it is factually correct, have no data (empirical or anecdotal) to support it, but it is such a great potential example of unintended consequences that I thought it was worth putting out there.

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Unintended Consequences of Hybrid Vehicles

I heard a "superb" cynical statement today. I have no idea if it is factually correct, have no data (empirical or anecdotal) to support it, but it is such a great potential example of unintended consequences that I thought it was worth putting out there.

The statement was "While hybrid vehicles make us feel better, they actually do more harm than good because they result in more driving."

The follow up thought is that for hybrid cars to really work (at today's efficiency levels), people still need to modify their behavior and drive less (e.g. relying on public transportation or carpooling.) However, once you've bought a hybrid, you suddenly feel like you are doing your part and subsequently drive more! This additional driving adds up across the system and increases total system fuel (and other resource) consumption.

Ponder that the next time you get in your hybrid.

Read this article in Brad's blog.

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Home > Entrepreneur-Advice > Brad Feld > Unintended Consequences of Hybrid Vehicles
Article Tags: blog, efficiency levels, hybrid cars, hybrid vehicles, public transportation, resource consumption, unintended consequences

About the Author: Brad Feld
RSS for Brad's articles - Visit Brad's website

Brad Feld is currently a Managing Director at Mobius Venture Capital and has been with the firm since 1996. Prior to Mobius, Brad founded Feld Technologies, which was sold to AmeriData Technologies in 1993, where he became Chief Technology Officer. Brad currently serves on the boards of a number of private companies, including Atreus, Comergent, ePartners, FeedBurner, Gold Systems, Judy's Book, Klocwork, NewsGator, Quova, Rally Software, and StillSecure. In addition, he is on the board of The National Center for Women & Information Technology, The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, and The Colorado Conservation Trust. Brad has previously been a member of the board of directors of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization and founded the Boston and Colorado chapters. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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