Ironically, the main impact of the ‘electric revolution’ may be to stimulate much greater efficiency in the conventional ICE power train, and in the development of fuel efficient engine control systems. Automobile companies typically bear the costs of investing in research, technology and plant capacity for their own vehicles - though in some cases they have benefited from partial public funding for production facilities. Early movers investing in hybrid and battery electric vehicles may reap large rewards when (and if) these technologies meet market success, as has been the case with Toyota which bore losses for years before sales of its hybrids took off.