Here is Nathaneal's response on his blog at NRDC to our objections to his original comments in favor of cellulosic ethanol.

And here is my attempt to convert him and NRDC to switch to backing plugin hybrids instead of fuel farming:

Just like we tried with Vinod Khosla, we can try to convince you to abandon ethanol in favor of plugin hybrids, plugged into a renewable smart grid. You do mention plugin hybrids but only give them a possible savings figure of 50%.
The thing is that if a plugin covers the average daily trip length between charging opportunities(about 21 miles I believe), and most do go 40 to 60 miles on plugin power alone, then the liquid fuel savings are more like 80 or even 90%.

As battery technology gets better that range can be 100 miles or more, then the savings goes up over 90%. With those kinds of reductions oil will last for a few decades. And GHG reductions will cure the climate disaster.

This would be set to kick in over a couple of decades, of course no total solution will happen overnight. Cellulosic ethanol would take years to roll out too, according to recent studies.

In 15 or 20 years as batteries approach the energy density of liquid fuel (even 1/5 the density would be equal to liquid fuel burned at 14% in a gas guzzling internal combustion engine, since electric motors are 5 times that efficent), and charge tmes drop to 5 to 10 minutes, no liquid fuel will be needed.

Any molecule that serves as liquid fuel will do, that's true enough, but it has to actually be carbon neutral to be part of the solution to gHG disaster. Ethanol from cellulose, sugar cane, or corn is not carbon neutral. Sorry.

Join us and come on in for the big win Nathanial. And bring NRDC with you. Plugin hybrids plugged into a renewable smart grid is the way to go.