19% of Americans want increased gas tax

[MODU]

This must be the 19% that commutes via bicycle.

Probably leftist environmentalists who don't think about the poor people who can't afford a new, more fuel efficient car, and needs to drive to work to put food on their plate.

Nothing will get us into smaller, more efficient cars faster than a high gas price.  If we as a nation think that's our goal, an increase in the Federal gas tax would be a viable option to consider to that end.

Are you going to buy me that new car? 

Seriously though --- to me --- a higher fuel price won't hurt my wallet.  I carpool into work each week, driving my own car into the office only two of those days, so I can go a whole week on one tank of gas.  But for those that have to drive long distances every day, it will be rough.  Plus, the same tax would most likely fall onto commercial vehicles as well, meaning you will end up paying more for your goods as a result.  Not really the best way to go.

If you really want to spur the desire for more efficient vehicles, you need to turn out the technology faster and in a larger volume in order to decrease the overall costs.  If you flooded the market with inexpensive hybrids that provided the same load capacity from small hatch-backs to large commercial vans, then you could see a flood of people buying new vehicles since the prices would be low.  However, you are now left with relatively good vehicles with traditional ICEs.  What do you do with them?  Well, you need to have a way to easily and cheaply convert them into more fuel efficient vehicles.  This is where the short-term money is actually found.  There are developers out there working on "kits" that you can attach to your current engine to increase your MPG.  One of the most unique kits requires just water, which can add 2 more MPG to your car.  Not too bad.  Some others add a standard battery pack in your trunk, though that adds additional weight and decreased cargo space.  Anyway, you get the point.  The 19% might be idealists (or ignorant), and fail to see the bigger picture.

[MODU]

If you really want to spur the desire for more efficient vehicles, you need to turn out the technology faster and in a larger volume in order to decrease the overall costs. 

If they could do that, why aren't they?  The fact of that matter is that, last I read in Car and Driver, they were still losing thousands of dollars everytime they sell a hybrid.  It's been true of small cars in general for years.  It costs roughly the same to build your regular F150 as it does to build your average Focus, but the Focus sells for half what the F150 does.  The money makers are your "fancy" trucks like Escalades and what not.  Hybrids add a whole 'nother expensive layer of manufacturing and R&D.  The price will come down and the technology will improve in time, but flooding the market today with something you lose thousands of dollars on every sale would be a bad thing to do.

..and I won't have to buy you a car.  If you use a car, eventually you'll have to replace it.  As people replace cars with more efficient ones, over time it will make a difference.  I think it already is in places like California.

Part of that is due to the fact that US auto makers are in the tank to the Unions and are behind the time in modernizing their production facilities as a result.  So those additional expenses are passed down to the consumer.  That is why the Japanese automakers are overtaking the US market, and can even build the plants here and produce at lower costs (no unions).  Ford, for example, needs to come out one day and say that the will be doing away with union labor starting 1/1/2009, and take the heat for their decision.  However, once they have, and the protests stop, they will be in a much better position to lower their costs and become competitive again.  As far as the technology goes, the US manufacturers are still just toying with the systems.  They have no real incentive to innovate on a proven platform, and changing the taxes on gas won't impact that.  People will still buy their product.  It will take either new leadership of the company to cause the evolution, or the market itself will lead the shift.