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Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald
Interesting comments. What is your position on development of green technologies in North America versus the rest of the world? We're supposed to be the world leaders in intellectual property, yet we are falling behind in this regard, even when we have all the political imputus to adapt to new technologies.
A great example is the whole idea of an alternative fuel source for transportation. GM had an opportunity to be a leader, but not only dropped the ball, but ripped it to pieces and buried the reminants. GM developed the first truly viable electric vehicle in the EV1, but fought hard to kill the technology in the courts. They then had the potential to be a leader in the hybrid development, but turned their noses up at it, and Toyota went it alone. Now the far east is years a head in developments. Toyota is the leader in hybrid technology. Honda is way out in front in fuel cell technology and is ready to offer a fuel unit that can power your home and vehicle. The Chinese are leaders in the electric car battle, although the Japanese have a much better product. Where is North America in the debate? Not involved as they are busy fighting for control of more fossil fuels. Comments?
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I don't really follow your point because I'm not very familiar with the EV1, but I'll comment nonetheless. Are you implying that they "killed" the electric car because the technology would threaten the oil industry?
I think "green" technologies are incredibly important not because of the GW implications, but because we live in a world of scarce resources and it's necessary to make better use of those. Furthermore, the true pollutants resulting from our energy usage can and do have a measurable impact on quality of life (e.g. smog).
So, to your example of GM vs. the Asian auto industry.... I guess the pertinent question is "why is Asia developing green technologies and GM is not?" One perspective: GM is in the back pocket of "big oil" and doesn't want to hurt that industry. Another perspective: GM doesn't know how to make these things profitably.
Frankly, I don't care why they've been surpassed by the Japanese. The fact is that N. American consumers are buying hybrid vehicles and GM is suffering for it. Eventually, GM will either come around to using greener technologies or it'll go out of business. We don't need our domestic corporations to lead the way in technologies. We certainly don't need to coerce them into unprofitable ventures using political tricks. We simply need individuals such as yourself to lead the way in supporting green technologies and the market will ensure that they are adopted.