Taking his own advice, clearly ...

NY Int'l Auto Show: It's 2018, and it's all about the electrics

The New York International Auto Show closed today after a week of showing Gotham City audiences what's on the minds of automakers for this upcoming model year. With such a large capital-intensive industry, very rarely do we see revolution. It's almost always evolution.

Nevertheless, there is a slow motion revolt happening in the auto industry right now with the arrival of more electric-powered cars every year, which include both hybrids and pure electric models. At NYIAS, a brochure touted 40 different automobiles that qualify for the federal tax credit. They range alphabetically from the Audi A3 E-Tron (which gets 83 MPGe) to the Volvo XC90 T8 at 62 MPGe.

This important shift in offerings from major manufacturers spells trouble for the company that really invented the modern electric car. As Tesla continues to have troubles bringing its new Model 3 to market, their cars will now have to compete with Audis, BMWs, Mercedes and Porsches. The most impressive of these may be the Jaguar I-Pace, which is a full electric with quality interiors and a sense of luxury that will make it a direct rival for the Model S. This should keep Elon Musk awake at night.

April 4th, 50 years on

My only interaction with Martin Luther King Jr. yesterday was walking past the offices of Cambridge Community Television on Massachusetts Avenue and hearing his voice piped out over their sound system onto the street. So rumbly. So rich. So biblical. Later that day, I thought of him again when I realized that 50 years ago last night, the nation's cities were on fire.