Mmm..things appear to be looking up, we may actually avoid destroying our planet sometime before it all goes pear shaped. BMW, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors have just announced a joint initiative to develop hybrid drive systems for cars. Hybrid = electrical assist = lower fuel consumption and cleaner emissions. This is A Good Thing. What’s also good is that Mercedes Benz has also just unveiled a couple of hybrid cars which achieve some pretty impressive fuel consumption figures. Now all we need is for all the car makers to pull their socks up, get this stuff on the road as standard equipment and we may start to get somewhere.