[pothole]

I'm not sure what I think about this idea, but I would certainly say you're living in a fantasy land if you think government regulation isn't necessary. Corporations generally operate with a view to short and at best medium term profitability.

It takes regulation to force them into longer term views and the behaviours that go along with that.

It's government regulation, for instance, that stops corporations from disposing of toxic waste into the sources of your drinking water or from buying the house next to yours and turning it into a noisy, dirty, smelly factory.

So let's be honest about this. It's not government interference per se that's the issue here. You just don't think having more efficient and cleaner cars is terribly desirable. If you did, you'd be all for it, just like you're all for the government regulations that stop prostitutes walking up and down near your home looking for customers.