According to a report April 15, North American automakers are gearing up to compete with Japanese automakers on hybrid passenger vehicles. Toyota says it will sell 300,000 hybrids by 2005; Honda is pulling a strong second in sales — and the automotive industry can expect hybrid models from these and other major automakers over the next few years. With the increase in higher-voltage systems, energy storage and power source manufacturers see a mass of opportunities for their products, according to the experts who participated in the second in a series of industry roundtable discussions sponsored by the Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Progress newsletter. One expert goes so far as to say he expects a “double-digit-billion-dollar business by the end of the decade.” Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Progress is a twice-monthly newsletter reporting on industry news and technical developments in battery-electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles.