Friday, May 05, 2006

Is Silicon Valley the Next Detroit, but Cleaner and Greener?

Hybrid cars, such as the Prius, have demonstrated that the world is ripe for an automotive revolution. If Detroit can't lead that revolution in America, maybe Silicon Valley can.Sometimes I just don't think that Ford and GM are going to find the light at the end of the tunnel. They simply seem to be lost in the past and unable to find a new vision for the future.

While I hope that changes, as the technology behind automobiles evolves from motors and gasoline into computers and batteries, perhaps Silicon Valley is better positioned for the future than is Detroit. That's the point of the article, A car that could save the planet—fast.

This movement, "a growing cluster of engineers, startups, and investors, most of them based in Silicon Valley, that believe they can do what major automakers have failed at for decades: Think beyond the golf cart and deliver an electric vehicle (EV) to the mass market."

"Beyond that, startups are forming to equip new "plug-in" hybrids that run almost entirely on their electric motors. And around the country, a handful of other exotic EVs are showing up on the road -- including George Clooney's new ride, a $108,000 commuter coupe that's just 3 feet wide."

Hybrid cars, such as the Prius, have demonstrated that automakers can do better, much better. If Detroit can't be the place for this automotive revolution, let's hope that Silicon Valley can.

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