Open Thread

For general debate and discussion. Possible talking point: Could the auto industry burst the oil bubble?

• MERCEDES are aiming to end the need for filling your fuel tank with petrol or diesel within just SEVEN YEARS.
• For several months now rumors have been rampant about an electric vehicle that General Motors would unveil at the Detroit Auto Show. That vehicle is now real, in the form of the Chevrolet Volt. [Available in 2010]
• Toyota Motor isn't going to allow General Motors to steal a march on it in electric vehicles. The Japanese automaker announced plans at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday to offer plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2010.

Electric cars are FINALLY going to be a reality. Shouldn't such a change in American and foreign driving habits alter fuel demand and pop this oil bubble? Will U.S. auto companies, currently facing huge financial problems, take the lead on this technology to win back market share? Might this conversion also be the tonic a soft economy needs to turn the corner just as the baby boomers are starting to retire?