IBM Predicts All Cars Will Be Hybrids By 2020

A new report by IBM's Institute For Business Value entitled Automotive 2020: Clarity Beyond The Chaos suggests that all automobiles will incorporate some amount of hybrid drive technology by 2020. Currently, the report notes that most major automakers are developing hybrid vehicles, and several are also developing PHEVs. The report further suggest that as many as 2 million hybrids will be sold by 2013, when as many as 89 hybrid models could be available for sale to consumers.

The report predicts that battery technology will continue to bottleneck the development of hybrid electric vehicles and will also be a major factor in vehicle cost. The future doesn't look very bright for biofuels, which the report terms "a dead end." It makes an exception for cellulosic ethanol, however. Hydrogen technology is also still on the automotive technology radar, but few of the 125 executives interviewed by IBM for the report believe that the infrastructure needed to encourage hydrogen use will be in place by 2020.

The report also predicts major alliances between automakers and electronics manufacturers, as the automakers incorporate technology designed to meet consumer demand as well as increase the safety of automobiles through accident avoidance.

Source: Wired