Is Nissan retiring the Z after 2018

MaysEffect

Efficiency comes with a increased cost. The "science" is already here to make emissions lower than tree hungers can possibly imagine. Formula 1 cars already have a thermal energy efficiency of 50%, compared to normal road cars that are around 20-30%. But the technology behind F1 is too expensive. Having a car with this level of efficiency would likely cost way too much or would be way too slow for most people (weight being a major proponent to efficiency). Or on the flip side of using exotic unstable materials, it would be too dangerous. So we are pretty much locked into this fine window of materials and efficiency due to cost and safety.

Electric cars are already far ahead in this realm (around 75-85% thermal efficiency), but the energy density is far behind gas fuel. So there is generally a stalemate between the two technologies. We don't need rich people to keep one or the other alive. The battle within itself is enough to keep both going on well.

Electric cars are however the future for metropolitan commuting. Keeping emissions at the lowest level possible in our cities has huge health benefits. This is what we should all be paying attention to. Nothing else is relevant as chemical mining for battery fuel and magnetic motors are equally environmentally impacting compared to mining gas.

If we could take our v6 engines to a level of efficiency as a F1 car, it would not only make more power but would produce less emissions. But this comes at a cost of reliability. So trade offs are always an issue. Would an electric motor swap make more power or get us better mileage? Its arguable still.