Electric vehicles disrupt the conventional and enormously lucrative refining, distribution and internal combustion paradigm. Oil and gas companies make enormous profits not only drilling but also refining and distributing gasoline. These companies are therefore quite support of hydrogen since their existing business models will thrive. Auto companies closely allied with "Big Oil" also profit by making larger, fuel-hungry vehicles.

The "Hydrogen Economy" would extend this way of doing business, whereby plug-in hybrids have the potential to disrupt it.

It is critical to note that ethanol also continues this distribution and combustion paradigm. "Big Oil" will continue to profit from ethanol fuels, whereby they are effectively shut out in a plug-in hybrid world.

Of course, electric utilities will love plug-in hybrids. Substantial changes in electric rates -- specfically very cheap nighttime charge rates -- are necessary for the economics of plug-in hybrids to work. In many cases it's cheaper to burn gasoline than use expensive (at least in California) electricity.