farmdoc's blog post number 358

GFC (Global Financial Crisis) is an initialism (or alphabetism) and not an acronym. But undoubtedly the GFC’s a real crisis, it’s not over yet, and before it’s over one or more of the USA’s major vehicle manufacturers – General Motors being the most precarious – will probably have succumbed to it; or rather a combination of it and the global climate and peak oil crises. GM had its chance with its 1990s electric vehicle [EV1] programme, and it muffed it, so it can’t blame anyone but itself. Though petrol electric hybrids are currently de rigeur for environmentally conscious drivers, the future’s heading towards electric cars. Whilst Mitsubishi (with its i-MiEV) and, paradoxically, GM (with its Volt) are frontrunners among the established carmakers, the probable overall field leader is a new kid on the American block. Tesla Motors is named for the US Immigrant genius Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) whose many inventions include the induction motor and A-C power transmission. It’s a newish corporation with some impressive backers, and it markets its vehicles as beautiful, exciting, and ‘the most efficient production automobile on the planet’. Since you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, it’s out with the old (GM) and in with the new (Tesla). Corporate Darwinism. I’m eagerly following Tesla’s progress. And, who knows, some day I may even drive a Tesla.