Hydrogen was a distraction to hide slashes in research? If what has been achieved lately is the result of slashes, then we need more slashing.
Maybe my glass are too rose tinted, but I see:
3rd Generation Prius
Killacycle demonstrating electric isn't just for crawling to the organic food co-op in a clown car.
Tremendous improvement in lithium-ion batteries, and that's before late-2007 when Stanford researchers announced technology that would improve capacity by maybe a factor of 10!
Chevy Volt announcement.
Ford Escape hybrid demonstrating hybrid technology in vehicle types people actually want. Once again erasing the "nerd factor".
Huge growth in the number of flex-fuel E85 vehicles from mostly US manufacturers (and a few Japanese models).
http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/flexfuelvehicles.phpWind energy actually starting to look meaningful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wind_farms#Operating_or_under_constructionRenewed interest in nuclear.
And even hydrogen has seen big improvements, to the point it may be feasible.
http://www.physorg.com/news2273.htmlMaybe all the slashing was on wasteful government programs, because this combination of private/public advancement we have seen lately is pretty impressive. And if this was done without taking more money from me (ultimately under threat of violence - that's what the tax code is) then I'm all for it.
