Electric dreams

Beginning tomorrow, there'll be big doings around here.  The 80th International Geneva Motor Show (Salon Internationale de l'Auto) will officially open tomorrow and run from 4-14 March at Geneva's Palexpo.

There have been preliminary events for the press and other notables for the past couple days.  Celebrities such as Justin Timberlake (yesterday) and Shakira (this morning) have been invited to attract media attention to manufacturer's newest auto concepts.   In the case of these two, the inviting manufacturer was Volkswagen, for Audi and SEAT.

This year, some 100 new models and innovative design concepts to improve humans' most popular individual transportation choice will be featured.  Some models are destined primarily for the European market; others will attempt to attract attention for global market share.

The Motor Show is one of Palexpo's major annual events.  It is generally very well-attended -- so well-attended in fact that it wreaks havoc on basic traffic routes and travel times for those locals who are trying to get anywhere else.  While individuals planning to visit the show are encouraged to use public mass transit, there are still many out-of-towners who arrive in cars or buses, and already crowded routes can get quite congested.

As has happened annually, this year I received an invitation to attend from the dealership where I bought my own car -- several years ago.  Merely for advising them when I would like to attend, they will furnish me with two free tickets to the exposition.  They will provide free parking at their garage and free shuttle rides for a guest and myself to Palexpo.  I am actually tempted to accept this year.  For one thing, given my retired status, I have plenty of time to go during the week, when the show is generally less crowded than on weekends.   For another, this year, the exposition is featuring not only trendy (and fantastically expensive) new models but many of these models are designed with ecology and the environment in mind.  Some are designed to be powered by biofuels; many others are designed to run on electricity.  Here, for example, is the new Subaru Stella.

European and Japanese automobile manufacturers have been much more responsive to the real need to wean consumers from products designed to run on petroleum products than have our traditional automakers in the United States.  They have recognized this not only because of the depletion of fossil fuels, but also because fuel emissions are contributing to global warming and thus to overall climate change.   I am astonished that there are still too many actors in both the US public and private sectors who refuse to accept the facts, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Renault-Nissan, who have a European partnership, will be investing EUR four billion to develop electric cars.  They project that one car in ten that Nissan sells by 2015 will be electric.
Wake up, America!  You will literally be left in the dust if you don't.