Alex:

Sorry. That was me.

Stas,

That's total nonsense. Microsoft was prosecuted for using a monopoly in one market (operating systems) to create monopolies by denying competitors access in other markets (web browsers, servers, internet protocols). No new laws were created to prosecute Microsoft; indeed, it happened while Republicans controlled Congress so your scenario is completely impossible.

None of the big three has anything close to a monopoly in any market: vehicle, subsystem, part or otherwise. They are free to pursue vertical integration as they wish. It's just cheaper for them to buy parts from competing suppliers, that's all.

But your assertion that the Microsoft case has any effect on automotive integration is complete hogwash.

Note: this utterly counterfactual claim straight out of the Republican propaganda mill seriously undermines the credibility of your other claims -- such as it was.

[q->t to email]

Electric car makers, including toyota, destroyed many working cars. These cars could have been converted to hybrids by installing a small gasoline generator or two or three.(Honda 1000is) The whole idea of a fully electric vehicle is an engineering and social mistake. There is never a mention of how any gasoline powered car has to stop every 300 miles or so to fill up. Mr. Wright of WrightSpeed has it right; series hybrid electric cars. Actually he says that small cars are efficient enough and large vehicles promise the most cost savings. Fill up at any gas station and charge at home when possible. The Tzero with power trailer demonstrated this, but one or more very small engines can be built into some part of the electric vehicle itself and perhaps used as often as a lug wrench. While diesel is more expensive to buy for unknown reasons, it is cheaper to make. The diesel OPOC run at very high speeds is one of the best candidates for a series hybrid that runs a lot of fuel. Any old engine or fuel can be used for most series plug-in-hybrid vehicles that have at least an electric range of thirty miles. The well tested ZEBRA battery can give three times this range. For superfast acceleration, add a small electric composite flywheel. This will also allow the car to operate well with no battery or a frozen one in emergencies...HG...

I sugest that wind generation could meet the hydrogen reqirements for transportation, initially spiking the current generation of gaseous and liquid fuels or hydrolising for stabilising and refining biofuels.
There are so many applications for this resource, that displacing other transport fuels, as important as it is may not be the best use in the short term.
Therefore the life expectancy and desirability of this type of machine is without question.(aesthetic considerations aside)
Moving from toxic fossil fuels to toxic radioactive strategic military fuels doesnt make any sense.
The socio-political times and past experience with corporate and political irresposibility are enough hindsight for the cautious.
And if we cant learn from the past what can we know of the future?
There would seem little merit in having all our eggs in such an explosive basket.
If the doe and others that represent the national interest can gamble on advances in technology to increase performance of existing dirty technology - clean coal, next gen nukes, H economy etc then why is windpower described as old irrelavent and limited , cant do the job or be integrated ?
We dont need the amount of car plants we have at present we do need clean energy sources, put 1+1 and come up with 2.
with clean energy sources slow incrimental gains will provide the energy to build the new economies effectively start te self assembly process.
This is exactly the way that astonomers , NASA, futrurists and other practical people would approach a problem.
If you find yourself digging a deeper and deper hole, its time to step back and reevaluate.
Rather like the millionaire who on falling on hard times would rather starve to death than cook at home.

LuLu, I wasn't ignoring you...I haven't been online recently. To answer your question: it was the Senator
from New Hampshire. I can't remember is name. He didn't have a problem with a hugh increase in tax for electricity, he wanted to talk about how they could spend all the trillions this tax would generate. A very
small amount would be used to generate renewable energy.

Will the Prius III arrive in January 2009 or shorthly thereafter?

the big 3 will have to manufacture their own batteries if they want to have a steady supply.. and supplies will get tight as the demand for electric cars starts to soar in the 2010's

Herm:

With most baterries being built in Asia (mostly in China, Japan and Korea), how could the Big-3's build their own without moving out?

There are very few (if any) large EV baterries factories in USA.

"It is time for the auto as we know it to go away." Right. So why is Toyota still banging away at fool cells? What is so great about this company? E85 for the 5000 pound Tundra-pig? Toyota hides behind its Prius green screen while building more liquid fuel cars for the CTL oil companies. Let's call them what they are = traitors to the green.

Joe: sorry about your wife and the groping. Another reason why "public" transit exposes the public to crime, dirt, filth and human pestilence.

the green info is a farce with toyota and lexus if they continue to use cosmoline and poison the occupants of their expensive cars and then do nothing to address the concerns of the consumer and rectify the situation. think of the kids and their parents.