Interesting note in Earth2Tech today about a new EV R&D effort among the 10 largest Chinese automakers (by sales). The group called T10 Electric Vehicles will jointly research and develop power trains and components for plug-ins.  While this is a long term play and you can never predict how successful a multi-company consortium will be, it is obvious that the Chinese automakers and the government are serious about dominating their own burgeoning domestic auto market and foreign markets as well.

This is yet another example of wake up calls for American companies, the American government and every individual citizen that is being ignored while we squabble with each other like we are still the center of the global economy and the "enemy" is other Americans who don't agree with us.  In this area, as with many others, the long term numbers are already against us.  Over the next decade+, the Chinese domestic auto market will dwarf our own.  The same is true in India. Unless they just screw up, they will use this numerical advantage to fund innovation and manufacturing capability that can become an overwhelming competitive barrier that our crippled auto industry is unlikely to be able to overcome.  

I cringe very time hear an American politician, from the right or the left, who still talks about our "leadership" position in the world and how much "better" our economic and political systems are than those in place in other parts of the world.  We are continuing to drink this "kool-aid" while we scream at each other about things that will mean nothing in ten years.

We are squandering the tremendous wealth and way of life that was built with the blood and sweat of previous generations of Americans and which we were supposed to shepherd and grow for our children. Do you think there is any chance we will wake up and start paying attention?