Is cap and trade the best path to plug-ins?

Is now the right time?

$150 billion over ten years to help the US auto industry develop much more fuel efficient vehicles, especially plug-in hybrids. Sounds like a good idea, but from where will the money come? Is it enough?

Under President Obama's new budget, it will come from an emission's cap and trade system, or it won't come at all. Yet, is cap and trade the right approach? Is it the the right time?

There have been a number of economists whom have claimed that, inevitably, it's going to take $100 - $150 billion just to stabilize the US auto industry. However, if the yearly run rate for US auto sales sticks around 10 million units for several more years, US automakers will need many more tens of billions just to survive, let alone to develop more efficient vehicles.

And, what about consumers? With the latest Rasmussen Polls showing that the majority of American's now believe that global warming is caused by planetary trends, rather than CO2 emissions, is using a struggling US auto industry, via cap and trade, the best litmus test for plug-in viability?

Of course, is there any other option?