TESLA VS. VOLT: Balancing the weight of expectations:

Cars like the Tesla Roadster and Chevy Volt are one reason I think the auto industry is entering one of the most fascinating decades in its history. For the first time in almost a century, the internal-combustion engine is no longer the default powertrain choice for automakers; true innovation and experimentation, not just continuous refinement and clever marketing, will be the cost of entry into the business.

Thing is, while it’s okay for a company like Tesla to innovate and experiment, a lot of folks seem mighty uncomfortable when GM tries it.

Read the whole thing. I agree about the excitement, and that’s a big, big difference between now and the oil-shock era of the 1970s.