Ford Introduces the Future

Ford today unveiled a glimpse at the future of automobiles and the power that might get us from point A to point B.

Its latest concept car, described in Christian Science Monitor, features breakthrough hybrid technology combining batteries, a gasoline engine, and solar power.  The difference between Ford and other automakers is that this car carries the panels in its roof.

Engineers have to tackle the problem of cramming enough solar cells into the roof of the car to make it go.  They bolstered its capabilities by putting a concave plastic cover over the cells.  This acts as a lens to concentrate solar energy into the cells.

It takes seven hours to fully charge in sunlight, but can also be plugged in conventionally.  During optimal conditions, 75 percent of its power could come from the sun.

Solar panels should grow more efficient as technology advances. Paradoxically, all that stands in the way of progress is government support.  Subsidies encourage the status quo, which currently means solar panels that are not economically feasible in most situations.  They are either too expensive, or not efficient enough.  Market pressures would encourage more developments that could make them more prevalent in business, home, or automobile use.

Solar power is one of the few renewable energy sources that has a lot of promise.  If we can only refrain from giving it too much help, it could eventually fulfill the potential predicted of it.

Jeb Bush Is Right

Don't get me wrong. I do cherish and respect what President Reagan did for our party and our country. His ideas and his efforts gave America twenty-five years of prosperity. Had Clinton followed his foreign policy example, we may have seen a much more secure America as well.

It's time to move on. It really is.

I am not saying we should forget Ronald Reagan. We never forgot Abraham Lincoln or Dwight Eisenhower. We should do a lot more to remember William McKinley who was a stronger supporter of free markets than the more flamboyant Theodore Roosevelt. However he belongs to history now.

People my age and older will have a hard time with this. We lived through the 1970s and remember the misery. Ronald Reagan raised us from all of that and restored our country's position in the world. But we must remember that millions of voters were not even alive when he was president. To them, he is as unreachable as Lincoln, a picture in a history book instead of a living example. If we continue to venerate Reagan, we risk looking like the old Franklin Roosevelt stalwarts of the not too distant past. Who in West Virginia even in the 80s and 90s did not know at least one person who voted the straight Democratic ticket because of FDR?

The Republican Party must start searching for the next Reagan because America will need some renewing in 2012. Obama has deconstructed much of our economic and diplomatic position in a shockingly short amount of time. Who will be the Republican to inspire this generation? Where will the ideas that wil shape the 21st Century come from? Hopefully we see one emerge soon.

Do not forget the past, but do not let the past blind us to the present or the future.

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Remember when we said on this blog that Ford Motor Company will not only be fine, but end up in a strong position when this economy shakes out?

Ford just leapt over Toyota to once again seize second place in US auto sales last month. Ford's new midsized Fusion is a hit with consumers and recreates the success enjoyed by that company in the 1990s with the unspectacular, but dependable Taurus.

General (soon to be renamed "Government?") Motors is still the nation's best selling company, but they and Toyota both lost market share to the aggressive and still completely private sector Ford Motor Company.

To be honest I still think GM should be split into two if not three parts. Chevrolet and Cadillac would probably prosper alone.

Kudos to Ford!

Ford Motor Company: A Bright Spot in Tough Times

Ford Motor Company, unlike many of the world's corporations, is riding high.

Criticized for low profit margins during the past decade, Ford's conservatism seems to be paying off. Unlike its American and Japanese competition, it lost less market share as auto sales crashed everywhere. Not long ago, experts wondered if the company would survive. A few months ago it confidently refused government assistance (also avoiding federal interference in its operations.)

This month USA Today and Car and Driver announced that Ford's hybrid midsized outperformed the Toyota Prius in almost every category. It has more passenger and trunk room as well as better handling while sacrificing nothing in fuel economy.

Last week Ford called a news conference to announce the reopening of its Cleveland Engine Plant Number 1. Built in 1955, it was shut down to undergo a $55 million renovation. Its opening will initially bring 250 employees back to work.

Even better, the plant will turn out next generation engines that improve fuel economy by 20% and cut emissions by 15%. This demonstrates that someone, somewhere in industry is still using good old American innovation to produce better products that consumers desire. And they are doing it without the federal government's help or advice.

Kudos to Ford. They remind us that the private sector remains the most effective source of real and effective changes.