If a very bright and charismatic member of the ruling Communist party were to think about it, he could come to the conclusion that it is time for that huge nation to use its impressive power and push the car industry to step away from Big Oil, which is both poisoning the planet and keeping us all in hock to the Middle East.

If such a person were to appear and be so influential, China could offer the car manufacturers of the world entry into a market of 1.5 billion people, only 10 percent of which is 150 million cars! But that entry would be allowed only if automobiles that did not use gasoline were developed.