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Another example of a misuse of the phrase "disruptive innovation". The writer marvels at the fact that nearly no venture dough is thrown at the internal combustion engine. But investment in gas-burning engines would be a sustaining, not disruptive, innovation. Hybrid and electric engines are the disruptive innovations here, and plenty of investment is being done in this area.

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Not to mention the fact that the internal combustion engine, while it might not receive a lot of venture capital, probably has more money going into research and eyeballs on it than most other technologies. Between the various big motor R&D departments, F1 teams, and even backyard tinkering, there are probably not many more-studied problems.

A modern engine might only be about 20-30% efficient compared to it's theoretical output but most of the energy loss is not in the engine, it's in the aerodynamic drag. Second is probably driving outside of the optimal power band: exactly what hybrid technology addresses. This was a bad choice by the author to make an otherwise good point.

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