🚀 go-pugleaf

[Pardon my gratuitous obscenity.  It was put there in honor
of the First Amendment.]

=o= Why is everyone babbling about GM's EV-1?  Why is everyone
lending credence to GM?  Let's take a look at the chronology
here, shall we?

  (1) A number of businesses in California get underway and
      make electric vehicles.  These EVs are available *NOW*.
      These vehicles cost $10,000 and even less.

  (2) GM, other auto companies, and oil companies shell out
      $24 million lobbying (read:  paying off) California
      politicians to cut back requirements for zero-emissions
      vehicles in the future.  FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY,
      California weakens its air quality laws.  (Since this
      state leads the country in such laws, this can have a
      very bad ripple effect.)

  (3) Not even two weeks later, GM rolls into town with their
      EV-1.  It'll cost $35,000, and it's not going to actually
      be available for awhile.  How does the media react?  Why
      of course, they act like it's the second coming.  Tons
      and tons of free publicity for GM (whose advertising
      budget exceeds the operating budget of some of these
      local businesses).

=o= Ignore GM.  If you're interested in EVs, check out what
local businesses are doing.  There's an umbrella organization
called CALstart (though they, too, have been toadying up to
GM, presumably because of the free publicity):

	http://www.calstart.org/

    <_Jym_>