Sid:
Getting engines from competitors is not a matter of pride, it is a
matter of eceonomics. As I wrote to James, most OEM deals hide the
producer's name, and display the seller's. The Sprint/Firefly decision
to use a Suzuki built engine was a strategic one - and they sold a
lot of them. Most owners don't realize they have a Suzuki engine
under the hood.
Daimler-Ballard will not be the only option for alternative engines.
Toyota will probably come up with one, not using Ballard's cell, and
I expect the other majors will come up with some as well, probably
with a Ballard fuel cell, since they seem to agree it is the market
leader. Auto-makers who don't care to "roll their own" can shop the
market, so competition will ensure that nobody is "in thrall" to
D-B or anyone else.
You're point of view is rather inconsistent these days. When the D-B
deal was announced, you were front-and-center telling the world
what a bad deal this was for Ballard, giving up all their potential
profits, blah, blah, blah. Now if this "bad deal" doesn't succeed,
"Ballard goes to zero". You can't have it both ways, Sid.
I think everyone (even you) now agrees the D-B deal was brilliant.
By the way, the reason for this last week's run-up: European
investors. Due to the D-B deal, Ballard is now getting discovered
in Europe, and they are buying.
Garth. |
