I'm 90% and up...

As far as the environment, I am all for clean energy, fuel cell, and the like for vehicles. We have been fed by the oil fields for too many years to change overnight. I think the progress of change in auto's such as the hybrids, the plug-in's coming soon, the Volt, the X6 Hybrid, and even the test examples as in the Mini-E, possibly the 1 series E, are a great advancement from where we were 10-15 years ago (from almost 50-60 years of the infatuation with the auto and oil.) The unfortunate thing is the cost of the R&D, and subsequent materials to make it more palatable to the general public to offset the lower priced "normal" fossil fuel burners.

And before we start a debate on this issue (although I think my rant is starting it... ,) lets look at the primary reason why we have not advanced so far...the auto companies/oil companies. We had (and still have) the ideas and technology years ago to provide cleaner burning vehicles and full electric vehicles. It did not put enough money in the pockets of the people who could make this change happen. Prime example, try finding an EV1 on the road. You can't...why? GM pulled them off the road. Why?

In my world (forklift trucks,) the gas/lpg engine powered machines have given way to more battery powered electric forklifts being sold in the US and across the globe. Fuel cell powered electric jacks are being used in large distribution centers all over the US. The cost? Gigantic. Find a way to reduce the cost of "clean" energy, and I think you will see most people convert easily. Put a Tesla Model S 4 door in my garage for 35-45K, and be able to drive long distances (with a proper infrastructure in place,) I'm Sold. Oh, and who put the gasoline infrastructure in place to begin with? Auto and Oil companies. Get the Auto and Li-Ion companies together, fund the infrastructure (even with the high real estate prices to buy land/buildings,) and the revolution of change for the Auto's will occur. And I sell forklifts that can charge up in less than 2 hours. We certainly can make it work for the auto industry which has roughly 10,000 times more resources than the lifttruck industry.

But to get back to the origin of this thread...the X now at 79,897 miles...my average is creeping up...

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