the need for that type of investment would also decrease, freeing up that $$$ for other things. While there would be an additional expenditure up front, the ROI would be a lot more than just $$$ as it is now.

Okay I will give you credit you have thought it through further than most. However, if we do not spend what we currently spend we bring up less oil. Less oil translates into less money brought in do less to sell. If we do not bring in that money where do we get the money to invest in the stuff you want us to invest in. Frankly government needs to be less intrusive and regulatory. If they hadn't stepped in earlier and decided the gasoline internal combustion engine was the way to go we might have had other companies investing in alternative systems all along and already have the problem solved. So who is to say another government program will not cause even worse problems. And this is not a what if, we already see the problems from corn based ethanol is doing to food prices. Also a fact the batteries the hybrids run on are only good for a few years and then they get thrown out. What do we do then.

you also say we cant let the what ifs interefere in trying to solve the problems okay but we need more than why not to pursue a given direction.