[Ronald G. Stephenson]

I am afraid too few people recall the early days of the motorcar in the United States. At that point, one could choose a steam powered car, an electric car, and the smoky, backfiring internal combustion engined examples. To some degree, all were somewhat successful, and each had it's followers. Now, sprinting into the 21st century, the top selling, most outrageously powerful, exotic cars are all gasoline powered. They not only go like stink, but get respectable mileage to boot. The likelyhood of the masses choosing an electric car, in any part of the future that anyone would care to name, is pretty remote. I, for one, will ride one of my bicycles or walk. On especially important days, I will bring out one of my 440 cubic-inch, ten miles to the gallon, rubber tired locomotives on what is left of our highway system, and have the time of my life. I predict that gasoline will continue to be refined and burnt for a good long time. Petrol products and coal will fire the furnaces to produce the much-needed electicity for the plug-in cars. Of course, we will need to build museums to house examples for future generations to observe in bemused wonderment.