Several years ago I had such hopes for Ford, particularly its couple hundred thousand hybrid cars per year by 2010 plans, including unique and new vehicles, such as the Reflex hybrid pictured here.

Instead, Ford sold 30,000 hybrids last year. Toyota sold 500,000.

Fortunately, that Ford is gone. Yesterday’s Ford died when it went into bankruptcy, along with the rest of the Big 3.

Finish: 2012 – The Fordaizening of hybrid cars

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Contrary to popular opinion, now is the greatest time ever to own a Toyota. Today you can talk and text while driving. You might even be able to get away with drunk driving, just make sure you’re only drinking vodka, or something that doesn’t stink too much. Even better, get a little kinky while cruising down the road.

No worries these days, at least as long as you own a Toyota, of course. If you get in a crash, no one will question you once they see you drive a Toyota.

And, when you’re tired of your car, or can no longer afford the payments…….

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Researchers from Kuwait University and from Kuwait Oil Company are predicting that world conventional crude oil production is set to peak in 2014. Using a new multicycle Hubbert Model, the scientists evaluated the oil production trends of 47 major oil-producing countries and came up with their 2014 forecast.

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Most these days claim fuel cells are a dream, but are America’s plans for energy independence or serious reductions in global warming emissions any less of a dream?

Study after study demonstrates the fickleness of consumers towards embracing hybrid cars, especially plug-in versions. Likewise, according to most studies, achieving energy independence and serious reductions in global warming emissions via battery-powered vehicles requires gas prices as high as $7.00 or $8.00. Ironically, at such prices, most consumers would buy cheaper cars, not more expensive plug-in versions, studies have suggested.

More important, however, what are the chances of selling such a gas tax to America, or a robust enough cap and trade plan? It seems neither has any chance, despite the overwhelming evidence indicating the need for either one or both. Ultimately, Americans want everything without giving up anything.

Certainly, the key might not be fuel cell hybrids; however, can anything other than a major technological breakthrough – a dream – save America? Equally important, is there any chance America can achieve any such breakthrough without a leap of faith forward?

When America decided to reach the moon, for instance, our leaders didn’t ask if it was possible, we had to make the impossible, possible. Is clean energy independence any different?

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Within a decade, American companies could run out of rare earth metals – essential materials for hybrid cars, wind turbines, computers, etc. – if China follows through on plans to stop rare earth exports according to experts.

Yet, one of the biggest rare earth metal deposits probably exists right here in America, but no one is mining these metals seriously because of the upfront costs needed to develop a separation plant to process these metals. According to experts, such a plant would cost about $1 billion dollars and require about 8 years to implement.

Even worse, since China is keeping the price of rare earths artificially low, competition is difficult to justify without direct government help.

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Yesterday, a Southern California man claimed to have experienced sudden acceleration in his 2008 Toyota Prius. For about 30 miles James Sikes could not slow down his Prius which accelerated to 94 mph.

After passing another car on the freeway, Sikes said the gas pedal stuck and the car just kept accelerating. Putting full pressure on the brakes did nothing to slow the Prius which “just kept accelerating”. While unintentionally accelerating, Sikes drove the car with one hand while trying to remove the floor mat and even trying to work the gas pedal lose, but that didn’t work either.

After a fruitless 911 call, a CHP officer pulled alongside the man and instructed him to put on the emergency brake while depressing the brakes, bringing the car’s speed down to 55 mph, at which point the officer told Sikes to shut off the car.

In a later report, Sikes said he would have shut off the car earlier, but he was worried about losing the power steering.

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After days questions about whether ABC altered evidence in an important report the TV station ran on the Toyota ‘unintended acceleration’ recalls, and seized upon by Congress, were ‘doctored’ have finally been answered. Turns out the automaker used fake footage to dramatize their story, as Gawker.com states was used to “make it look scarier.”(tip via KickingTires)

But faked drama isn’t even the real story today. Before Congress experts questioned the entire premise put forth by David W. Gilbert, an automotive technology professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and ABC’s key expert.

Chris Gerdes, director of Stanford University’s Center for Automotive Research, and a consulting firm, Exponent Inc., “said the professor had tampered with wiring to create electronic glitches that could never occur on the road.”

Likewise, the same tampering could achieve the same effects in many other cars, and was achieved using both the Subaru Outback and the Ford Fusion.

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According to a new Accenture Study taken in the US, Canada, Germany, France and Italy, 6 out 10 consumers will only buy a hybrid when it is “superior to gasoline-only models in every way.” Likewise, just 36 percent of consumers cited higher gas prices as a reason to buy a hybrid or electric car.

Unfortunately, according to the survey, “those that have driven a hybrid or electric vehicle rate fuel efficiency as being very good to excellent, but most rate the ride, performance, style and maintenance as good at best.”

Thus, Accenture concludes that automakers will need to “achieve competitive differentiation, ” such as “distinctive capabilities, particularly around safety, environmental protection and entertainment” to achieve mainstream success with hybrid and electric vehicles.

On a side note, of the 42 percent that are willing to buy a hybrid or EV in the next few years, 80 percent are interested in hybrid cars rather than electric vehicles.

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The Volkswagen Touareg hybrid, VW’s first hybrid vehicle, is a “home run” and “its technology a considerable advancement for hybrids in general” according to MotorTrend. But why?

Is it the diesel hybrid technology that most impresses MT? The 375 horsepower or the 425 feet of torque? Maybe it’s the 7700 pounds of towing capability?

MT never defines exactly what makes this hybrid such an “advancement”. And, unfortunately, we’ve heard such sentiment from MT before regarding GM and Chrysler’s dual mode hybrids, for instance. However, the price of dual mode hybrids has simply been too expensive, too cos-ineffective for most consumers.

The VW Touareg might be a technological home run, but if it isn’t cost-effective, then it’ll only be a single or double, at best, in the real world.

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Dang, has the selection of hybrid cars increased significantly in just the last few days. Porsche, Maserati, Ferrari have all confirmed plans to produce new hybrid vehicles.

Of course, those were just some of the top end hybrids, Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Infinity, for instance, also announced new hybrids during the course of the Geneva Motor Show.

But do any of these hybrids really mean anything in terms of advancing hybrid technology to the masses?

Sure, rich people can keep their rich toys and sleep soundly at night knowing that they have reduced their carbon footprint a bit. Unfortunately, however, even if you combine all these hybrids and their sale’s potential, they still don’t offer any scale for bringing hybrid vehicle costs down for the rest of us.

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