http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-autoshow.html?_r=1&sq&oref=slogin

Nearly all of the major automotive manufacturers are scrambling to produce new all-electric vehicles a decade after GM killed off the EV-1.

Environmental advocates see plug-ins as a way to cut fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The sharp increase in fuel economy the vehicles could also help automakers meet more stringent U.S. fuel economy standards.

New York Times, January 15, 2008

Submitted by B. Shapiro

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120027151743287307.html

About 30 donated patents from large companies such as IBM, Sony, and Nokia are the initial impetus in setting up a repository of shared technologies to benefit the environment.

The project, dubbed the "Eco-Patent Commons," builds on the experience of the open-source software movement in which programmers around the world freely share their computer programs, said David Kappos, IBM's assistant general counsel for patent law, who helped design the system. He said that "the advantage of using this commons approach is efficiency, scale and visibility."

The Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2008

Submitted by B. Shapiro

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120001331482082629.html

Battery technology has prevented more efficient hybrids and all-electric cars from coming to market.

The limits of electric-car technology are achingly clear in one of the most-heralded cars on the drawing board: GM's Chevy Volt. GM executives mention the prototype, which the Detroit auto maker aims to put into production in three years, nearly every time they discuss their vision for "gas free" cars. But GM still hasn't solved the battery problem.

The Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2008

Submitted by B. Shapiro