@manny4life and @Gbawe: Here is the 2012 Honda Civic hybrid: http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-hybrid/?ef_id=1D1NJSnvAgAAhhw:20111006175248:s

MRSP = $24k.

Here is the 2012 Honda Civic: http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-sedan/

MRSP = $15805.

It has been about 4-5 years since I've looked into this, but at that time the US FG and my state would have given me $3-4k in tax breaks (so a subsidy).

I also went through and used one of those fuel economy calculators that estimate the energy savings over the lifetime of the car. It still wasn't worth it overall for me at that time. Not to mention the mandatory battery replacement necessary, costing about $4k or something ridiculous to get another one.

Now who knows, maybe the story is more compelling in Europe, or for others, I dunno. But it was a very bad deal for me at the time.

Gbawe:

Indeed. Today , electric cars make perfect sense and will make even more sense tomorrow . As you conclude, it is not about petrol price alone but about many other issues that have implications for a sustainable and healthy Planet.

At the point of usage electric cars are carbon neutral. However, when one take a closer look at the energy chain, electric cars are not carbon neutral and rely heavily on either coal, gas or nuclear. This is similar to the electric trains that replace the coal powered trains. Their energy generation shifted to the massive coal power plant and in some countries to nuclear power plant.

Oil and it is associated product are the back bone of the modern society. Look around you, and you will see thousands of products made from oil.

In as much as Nigeria can continue to pump oil, the money will continue to flow. Because there is no level of economic recession that will dampen the price and demand for oil for a very sustained period of time. Oil price will always creep back up.

@Gbawe

Guy, you have spoken well. You sound current and moving along with technology. Those who have ears, let them hear. In fact I am thinking of switching to Mechatronics Engineering---- The future of Engineering.

Those who can't accept reality are always in denial and short sighted. That is the typical Naija mentality for you.

As Malcolm X said "The future belongs to those who prepare for it today".

We thank God. People will now start using their God given brain to do things. No more oil money, poverty in the land. Nigerian leaders wil now settle for fighting for agege bread and ewa agoyin. . On the positive side, Nigeria may see an increase in entrepreneurs. Lets hope for the next steve jobs.lmao.

Soludo should shut up his bleeping stinking mouth.
He had the opportunity to sound a note of caution/warning when the whole world were taking steps to address the financial crisis but he kept sweet-tonguing and deceiving Nigerians that everything was okay and that Nigeria would never be affected by the financial crisis. He also deceived the public about the true health of Nigerian banks. He was helping to cover the looting and corruption going on in the banking sector.
I guess he was doing all those things because he had a political ambition and needed the backing of the looters in the banking sector
Thank God for a courageous person like Sanusi who exposed the corrupt practices in the sector and took practical steps to safeguard depositors funds in the banks, most of which were on the verge of going under. Today, Sanusi has been able to address the distress in the banking industry without a single bank going under.

Soludo lied to us when he had the opportunity and platform to tell us the truth, thereby misleading Nigerians, let him keep his words to himself, that warning is belated!