There's an interesting item out on the news wire today from research firm Frost & Sullivan about hybrids and electric vehicles. In the chicken-and-egg situation that greets almost all new technology, it seems that OE dealers may be keeping their hands on these cars long after the warranty's up.
More than 40% of independent garages surveyed said they aren't equipped to service hybrids, while almost 60% can't fix or maintain electric vehicles (and those numbers are low enough that I'm suspicious about the ones who said they can). And since hybrids make up less than 3% of market share each year, no one's really running out and spending the time and money to learn all about them. Very importantly, the aftermarket parts companies - the ones that make the less-expensive components that most of us buy when the dealer wants three times their price for OEM - aren't tooling up to make hybrid- and EV-specific parts.
When the Prius was young, my friend and colleague Brian Early took a test-car version to a Toyota shop and had to show the guys there how to start it. All new ideas have to start somewhere and build gradually, but I think the early adopters may well be in for a somewhat bumpy ride.
