<No matter how I look at it petroleum is something I would strive to eliminate from the economic equation.

no argument there SM, but a whole lot of handwaving and false predictions are no way to do that. We need to be weaned off of oil by new technology. It would be devastating to be forced off cold turkey, but that it is exactly what a lot of the extreme enviromentalists would like to see. I like the new hybrid ideas that are starting to show up on our roads. I bet this trend will continue, as new technology makes transportation cheaper and more efficient.

What they need to do IMO is to start putting Hybrid engines in as options on normal looking cars. So far I think the Hybrid cars like the Honda Incite are ugly as sin. More people would start to embrace them if they didn't feel so silly driving one. Pretty soon it would be normal to choose your hybrid engine based on your needs at the dealership, and eventually the gas guzzlers will become collector's items.

I would rather see more effort thrown at hybrids than hydrogen engines right now. Hybrids are proven concepts and can be immediatly implemented. Hydrogen engines are a good thing to keep working on, but still rank up there with hover cars for me.

-Steve G.