Hybrid Government

Here's an open-source idea that I am more than willing to donate to anyone who wants to implement it.

Of late there has been a lot of interest in renewable energy sources, more due to the sudden spike in gas (or petrol, as it's called in India), than due to any major concern about the environment.

Coming from India, pollution has been a part and parcel of my life, and so was fresh, clean air when I was young. When I went back to India from US for the first time (after 3 years), Bangalore and Madras suddenly seemed way more polluted and Bangalore more than Madras. I guess it's probably due to the sudden IT boom, resulting in elevating a number of folks to the upper-middle class sector, and consequently increasing their spending on vehicles that consume gas.

While politicians wax eloquently about how citizens should mind their carbon footprint and help the world, they seem to have ignored a carbon giant that they can control - the mass transit system (which includes taxis and buses).

To me, a citizen-based carbon-footprint is good, but is not necessarily the best solution for the following reasons:

1. Normal usage of personal transportation is much smaller in a day compared to a mass transit system, which typically runs for almost the whole day.
2. People tend to take better care of their own vehicles, such as constant maintenance, better gas mileage, etc. while the care is relatively less for a government-owned vehicle.
3. People, while they tend to travel mostly near their locality, occasionally take a longer trip that needs more speed and significant refueling.
4. Not all individuals can afford the relatively higher costs of owning a hybrid vehicle (at least not now)
   

On the other hand, a government-owned, sponsored, or subsidized mass transit system is a more controllable entity that can do with a lot of improvement.

I would argue that you can save quite a bit of the environment if the taxis in New York or the autos (kind-of like 3-wheeler coupes in India) are fitted with a hybrid engine, as they satisfy all the criteria above.

If you want to start a company, here's an idea: Create a hybrid engine that can be easily retro-fitted to existing taxis or autos at a reasonably affordable price. The resultant product can potentially be sold to multiple cities and hence can generate a reasonable revenue stream. If the government can be convinced, then you can always hope for some subsidy and even a portion of the initial investment - provided the government is interested and willing. Probably there-in lies the key.