Sales of all hybrids totaled 274,927 in 2011, about 2.1 percent of the 12.78 million cars, light trucks and crossovers sold in the U.S. Proponents say the technology will need more time to realize the improvements in cost and range needed to become more directly competitive with the internal combustion engine while skeptics question focusing time and money on battery power with other alternatives available that include fuel cell vehicles and advanced diesel power.