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Honda is still skeptical about plug-in hybrid technology, according to Bloomberg News by way of our diesel-loving friends over at Jalopnik. Voicing a concern that many engineers have about the viability of electric-only and predominantly electric vehicles coming soon to the U.S. market, Masaaki Kato of Honda R&D, feels "battery technology needs to advance further" before electric vehicles become viable, widespread, and popular in today's marketplace. The company hints at impending PR nightmares if companies get the electric battery technology wrong, and claims it is for now sticking with development of hydrogen fuel-cell technology like that in its FCX Clarity.

These concerns in spite of the huge PR wins enjoyed today by Chrysler with its announcement of an impending electric/E-REV fleet, and GM's huge Chevy Volt announcement last week. This type of hand-wringing caution from the same company that gave us the breathtaking, fresh-thinking NSX and cult-status CRX decades ago, when everybody else was churning out dowdy Paseos, Cavalier Z24s, and Dodge Sundance Coupes? Not to mention, one of the first to market with a viable hybrid in the form of the first Honda Insight?

With even Toyota promising a plug-in Prius in the future, we'd like to hear more fresh ideas and exciting plans from Honda, and less overblown, hypenated techno-geekery (SH-AWD) clothed in barely new wrappers like the '09 Acura RL. Yawn.

And again, no one's proven fuel cells are going to make it in large numbers before you're too enfeebled to own one.

Is Honda playing it too safe and simply not want to invest the huge sums necessary to fully develop lithium-ion batteries, or are they wise not to jump on the E-REV bandwagon? Give us your thoughts.--Colin Mathews

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Not to be outdone in the hot new electric and E-REV segment, Chrysler has announced not one but THREE new Chrysler electric cars that rely solely or predominantly on electric motors for their forward propulsion, according to CNBC--not to mention the expansion of a fourth electric vehicle that's already been for sale for nearly a decade. All three concepts are intended for eventual production, with at least one slated for production sometime in 2010.

Number one: A Tesla competitor. A roadster in form and based on the Lotus Europa, this all-electric sportscar, the Dodge EV, will accelerate to 60 mph in less than five seconds, have a 150- to 200-mile range on a full charge, and be driven at the rear wheels. Charging times for the Dodge EV are cited by CEO Bob Nardelli as 4 hours on a 110-volt outlet, 8 hours on a 220-volt line.

Number two: An E-REV (extended-range electric vehicle) Jeep Wrangler that can travel solely on electric propulsion up to 40 miles and then, with the assistance of a roughly 1.0-liter gasoline generator delivering electricity to the electric motors and back to the battery, travel up to another 400. Chrysler execs claimed on CNBC that this Wrangler, each wheel powered by its own electric motor, can travel "400 miles on 9 gallons." That works out to 44 mpg for this beast of burden, more than double the economy it's capable of with its overburdened 3.7-liter V-6. And individual throttle control, in essence, for each wheel could conceivably be a remarkable advancement in the land of four-wheeling.

Number three: An E-REV Chrysler Town & Country, with batteries located beneath the second row of seats. This enables the minivan's convenient Swivel & Go seating to remain. This vehicle's range and details of its propulsion are not yet known, but as it's called an E-REV, we assume a setup similar to the Jeep Wrangler above, itself nearly an exact copy of GM's recently announced 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

Number four: Electric "neighborhood" vehicles. Chrysler has been building and selling bubbly electric golf-cart-like vehicles for a decade now, and on CNBC, Chrysler execs claimed there are currently 40,000 on the road with a combined total of about 250 million miles on them. Far from the high-tech lithium-ion propulsion systems of today, the lead-acid batteries and short ranges of these vehicles don't have much relevance compared to the three concepts announced by Chrysler. But Nardelli claims that an electric city car will be developed off of this platform, and 40,000 pleased consumers in gated communities and golf courses across America (ever heard of Peachtree City outside of Atlanta?) is pretty significant.

Clearly, Chrysler LLC has cribbed two ideas from other companies in assembling its proposed arsenal of electric vehicles. Just as the "change" mantra was invented by one presidential candidate and then quite successfully adopted by the other in this election season, GM and Tesla started the E-REVolution and electric roadster, respectively, and now Chrysler seems to be stealing the spotlight by being the first automaker to announce a fleet of Chrysler electric cars incorporating the best of both technologies.

Chrysler has something to brag about today, as well as the beginnings of a plan to cheer its loyalists and struggling dealer infrastructure. For now, anyway--Chrysler's long, unproductive track record with electric vehicles aside from the GEM is reason enough to believe this announcement's designed to help its case for federal loans, and that actual production without that money is decidedly iffy.

Tides change rapidly in the automotive universe, it would seem, and we're glad to see automakers tripping over each other in search of the Green Mantle. Wonder if GM wishes it had copyrighted the E-REV nomenclature?--Colin Mathews

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According to a report released today by the quality monitors at J.D. Power and Associates, analysis of 40 million blog posts during the past six months reveals that Toyota, GM, and Honda generate a high volume of blog posts regarding environmental sustainability, and that those posts reveal a higher-than-average number of positive mentions regarding the same subject. This marks the organization's first research of exactly this kind, and it comes from J.D. Power's Web Intelligence Division, which "specializes in blog research and consumer generated media for market insight."

The study looked at consumer blogging regarding environmental sustainability, global warming, purchase trends, and user demographics. J.D. Power states that this report is "designed to provide automotive industry executives with ongoing measures of the extent of consumer engagement around the topic of sustainability."

The leaders in volume of posts as well as positive mentions were GM, Honda, and Toyota. Interestingly, Nissan outscored all brands in positive discussion, with 56 percent of posts mentioning the company positively regarding sustainability, but rings in with a total volume of only 2 percent. In contrast, top volume of blog discussions regarding sustainability was pegged by Toyota, which captured 14 percent in that measurement.

While consumer interest and opinion shouldn't be the only thing driving green technology and investment forward--just as opinion polls shouldn't be the only things underpinning our politician's announcements and decisions--J.D. Power and Associates' interesting new studies highlight the importance of environmental sustainability to today's automotive customers and might also stir up some healthy competition between automakers on this new forefront of automotive research, design, and sales.--Colin Mathews

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Advertising during the '09 Super Bowl XLIII just took a big hit, with GM pulling the plug on any advertising for the game that will air this coming February.

According to Detroit News, GM is one of the Super Bowl's "most-loyal and biggest in-game advertisers," and has spent some $77.1 billion on advertising during Super Bowls past, surpassing only Anheuser-Busch and Pepsico. The Detroit News also mentions that massive budget cutbacks and a broad restructuring plan have forced the automaker to cancel ads during Sunday's Primetime Emmy Awards and the 2009 Academy Awards.

GM's financial plans include cutting expenses by $10 billion and raising $5 billion through asset sales and borrowing. Spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato also mentioned that GM doesn't currently have a major vehicle launch that coincides with the football game, but somehow we think that if GM's coffers were fuller, they'd take the opportunity to stir up some more 2011 Chevy Volt excitement during one of the most highly watched moments in U.S. TV.

GM remains an NFL sponsor, and is therefore yet to determine its level of involvement in the Super Bowl. The company will have a presence at the Feb. 1 NFL game in Tampa, Fla., where it will have pre- and post-game show advertising, provide vehicles to be used at the event, and have a presence on the NFL's Web site..--Colin Mathews

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"In today's world that we're in, it is somewhat of an unsettled time." Err...wow, that's a nice, concise, circular intro for GM CEO Rick Wagoner's latest video blog entry on GM FastLane, entitled "The Case for GM." We wonder if he starts board meetings with such profundity.

Wagoner starts off by telling us what we already know, that GM will "have to do some tough things to get through today's challenging environment." And with no recognition to a past with some decidedly inferior products, he alludes to "addressing the costs of our long history" only as funding expensive pension plans. In perhaps his biggest fumble in the address, Wagoner has an awkward Jocelyn Elders moment when he stammers that the company must "come up with ways to - to - to - to - to address post-retiree health care." And what exactly is a "post-retiree?"

It's a shame Wagoner started off his videoblog entry fumbling and stumbling over the bad news and the challenges for the company. Because, as he points out in the latter half of the 2-minute, 50-second video, GM has a whole lot going for it these days, and the giant is suddenly redoubling its efforts to maintain viability and reclaim leadership and innovation in the mercurial automotive industry.

Wagoner points out that GM is embarking on aggressive growth in markets around the world that have the most growth potential, such as China, Russia, and South America. He rightly cites the company's recent focus on great products and great design, and claims that recent launches (Chevy Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Corvette ZR1, and, we think, pending beauties like the 2010 Buick LaCrosse) have re-ignited the company's passion for great cars and trucks.

And his last point, that GM has allotted an enormous amount of resources and efforts toward addressing energy expenses and environmental concerns is true (2011 Chevy Volt). But Wagoner makes reference to "the coming age, where energy is gonna be more expensive and people are more concerned about the environment." The coming age? Hey GM! Energy is more expensive and people are more concerned about the environment. Right now.

So keep up the great work. But don't put down the shovel and look over your shoulder just yet.--Colin Mathews