Electric cars are driving industry into an eco-trap.(Industry overview)

Byline: Guido Reinking

Catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters, hybrid drivetrains -- the shock of being late on these technologies still runs deep among German automakers.

The proud German auto industry doesn't want to be told again that it didn't recognize an important new trend, so electric drive is being researched everywhere, from Wolfsburg to Ruesselsheim and from Stuttgart to Munich.

That's because it's considered a technology of the future, at least among many politicians and the public. But the industry has stumbled into an eco-trap that easily could threaten some manufacturers' survival.

For many automakers, the billions that …