The future of the automobile is being fought on the two stages of politics and raw capitalism. No surprise, given that cars are at the epicenter of not only oil demand and manufacturing might, but also technology deployment. Both presidential aspirants (cars seem to bring out the inner dweeb in the candidates) have tech-centric future-car plans. Not coincidentally, the world’s two largest automakers have started a Kabuki dance over who will lead the next secular shift in automotive technology from whence 21st century market dominance will emerge. Regardless of who wins either battle, the transformation of the car, over time, alters energy markets in far-reaching ways. Both Obama and McCain propose to accelerate the idea of a ‘plug-in hybrid,’ a vehicle directly derived from the digital silicon economy. So do automakers. In mid-August, General Motors announced it had ‘essentially finished’ the design of its Volt, a radical new hybrid car first unveiled just a year ago in January, with planned production in 2010. Not to be outdone, Toyota quickly announced, contemporaneous with the Democratic Convention, an acceleration of its own similar plan and release schedule. Nissan, Ford, Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Mercedes all have plans too. What’s the big […]