"GE is up to its word and is ordering 25000 EVs - it is a huge endorsement from this powerful company for Electric Cars mass market. It is the first step and it is the most important one: commercial fleets are providing additional benefits to corporate owners - Eco friendly branding will the obvious one. GE is heavily involved in Electric Cars value chain already and choice to buy GM Volts should not surprise anyone - GE is holding a stake in A123 and A123 supplies batteries to GMVolt.
Now President Obama's target of 1 million Electric Cars on the roads by 2015 could be seen as a very modest one - we need just 40 other corporation like GE to fulfil his dream. Among interested parties are FedeEx, UPS, US Post, Avis, Herts and others." Europe is pushing ahead with Electric Cars - France is the leader there with Renault Electric Cars range. Germany has missed the train with hydrogen dreams and is catching up now. Daimler is building up J/V with Tesla and BYD and came up with Mercedes A E-Cell recently to add practical touch to the futuristic E-Cell range of concepts. Electric Smart is already on the roads, but will not be able to compete with Renault Fluence and Zoe and Nissan Leaf. BMW is making headlines with EfficientDynamics Plug In hybrid and Mega City concept. Audi is pushing its e-tron line of luxury EVs. Opel prepared to roll out Ampera - European version of GM Volt next year. WV has recently announced Electric E Up and Blue-e-Motion. All auto makers in Germany, apart from, Opel with Aptera are still years away from mass production - with first EVs hitting the market in 2012.
Volvo has moved recently up in the electric race with its EV Volvo C-30 electric and looks serious about electric cars. Seat and Saab have produced first electric car concepts for Paris Motor Show 2010. Fiat has recently announced an Electric Fiat 500.
Germany has all chances to change the leadership in electric race dramatically - if DBM Energy claims about break through in Lithium battery technology will be confirmed - Audi A2 traveled more than 600km on one charge on that battery. We will be surprised if this kind of magnitude in strategic technology will slip abroad.
Paris Motor show 2010 was very much about the future and future is electric in Europe. Gas prices are twice as high in Europe already and Russian grip on natural gas supply reminds about energy security every gold winter.
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