Oil is regarded as a finite resource, but its exact
time of depletion is widely disputed. Nonetheless it
can be assumed that humanity faces an end of its
worldwide oil resources at some time between 40 to
100 years into the future. As the world wide economy
and in particular the emerging markets are more than
depended on this resource, alternatives have to be
thought about long before oil depletion becomes a
reality. Therefore the automotive industry tries to
offer various technical solutions to this problem
concerning their industry. Alternatives are the
petrol-electric hybrid car as a short-term interim
solution and hydrogen powered fuel-cell cars as the
long-term substitution for cars based on oil-powered
internal combustion engines.
The question that now remains is how aware are
potential future consumers are to this next
evolutionary step in private transport. This study
focuses on Austrian students as its target group and
tries to discern whether this group is even aware of
diminishing oil reserves, rising oil prices, of
hybrid cars and their petrol-saving potential and of
its long-term substitution, fuel-cell cars.
time of depletion is widely disputed. Nonetheless it
can be assumed that humanity faces an end of its
worldwide oil resources at some time between 40 to
100 years into the future. As the world wide economy
and in particular the emerging markets are more than
depended on this resource, alternatives have to be
thought about long before oil depletion becomes a
reality. Therefore the automotive industry tries to
offer various technical solutions to this problem
concerning their industry. Alternatives are the
petrol-electric hybrid car as a short-term interim
solution and hydrogen powered fuel-cell cars as the
long-term substitution for cars based on oil-powered
internal combustion engines.
The question that now remains is how aware are
potential future consumers are to this next
evolutionary step in private transport. This study
focuses on Austrian students as its target group and
tries to discern whether this group is even aware of
diminishing oil reserves, rising oil prices, of
hybrid cars and their petrol-saving potential and of
its long-term substitution, fuel-cell cars.