It sounds like google is engaged in trying to do the impossible. If I were a shareholder, I'd be unhappy that they want to pour my money down the drain.

It's interesting that Google.org has the use of google engineers, but what expertise do their engineers have in renewable energy or electric cars? What expectation is there that they will make progress that GM, Toyota and Tesla can't?

As an engineer, I'd love to land a contract to work on electric cars or alcohol from garbage, with no expectation of ever going into production. We all love a science project. It's great fun, but it doesn't feed the hungrey or improve high school graduation rates.