This is the true wisdom. However, the industry needed to realize this fact about 5 years after the Prius/Insight hit the market in 1997ish.
Now? You have a choice as a carmaker: invest 50 billion dollars into PHEVs which will be mere stepping stones to then having to invest ANOTHER 50 billion dollars into EVs, or you just bite the bullet now and do the 50 billion ICE-EV upgrade. Figures obviously arbitrary.
If our government was smart, it would have taken one look at the Prius/Insight, realized that every single commodity consumer vehicle should use that architecture (for the regen braking alone) and mandated it to be in all cars/trucks by 2010.
Now? You have a choice as a carmaker: invest 50 billion dollars into PHEVs which will be mere stepping stones to then having to invest ANOTHER 50 billion dollars into EVs, or you just bite the bullet now and do the 50 billion ICE-EV upgrade. Figures obviously arbitrary.
If our government was smart, it would have taken one look at the Prius/Insight, realized that every single commodity consumer vehicle should use that architecture (for the regen braking alone) and mandated it to be in all cars/trucks by 2010.
Oh well. It's too late now.