http://miramichileader.canadaeast.co...

Soon China will add electric cars to the long list of items exported to Canada.

Last week, Reuters news service reported a Chinese car maker and a Canadian company teamed up in May to bring electric cars to the Canadian market before the end of the year.

The Canadian company called Electrovaya will build the power train and distribute the cars in Canada. The rest of the car will come from Changan Automobile Group in China.

Eventually the entire car will be made over there and shipped over here.

If Canadian ingenuity has developed a concept Changan is willing to use, why hasn't one of the struggling North American automakers jumped onboard?

Conspiracy theorists would blame the oil monopolies. The carmakers might say it's unproven technology too risky to use without extensive, time consuming research.

If the Ben Ben pricing is in line with other Chinese products, they will have a huge head start on the competition and the big players in Ontario's struggling automotive sector could be in trouble.

As long as the government doesn't bail them out, that is.

This past year the feds gave money to the big car makers to keep people in Ontario making old fashioned gasoline powered vehicles. Gas prices are down lately, but we can't expect them to stay that way.

Imagine if innovation and good old-fashioned ingenuity were put to good use, instead of relying on traditional technology.

But fear might keep the Chinese cars from making a dent in the Canadian market. A summer of recalls has left many people nervous about Chinese products.

It's not just a safety issue. There seems to be a fear of innovation in this country.

But because it's something new and untested, fear keeps it off the road.

It's sad to see Canadian cars roll off to American streets because our governments won't let us use them.

If the Ben Ben takes off, maybe some day we'll see Changan factories replace the old GM plants with green jobs founded on new ideas. Imagine trying something different for a change.

What a novel thought.