Well, you can't accuse either side of the political spectrum of hanging around while gas prices have opened-up the debate on America's energy policy, or lack thereof. While President Bush has removed the executive order against off-shore drilling (over to you congress), former Vice President Al Gore has asked Americans to help foot the bill for a ten-year, three trillion dollar "moon shot" effort to switch to "clean" electricity from solar, wind and geothermal power. While this is an extremely inconvenient solution for coal mining states that leaves pro-nuclear partisans in the cold, I mention Al's plan here because it's implicit that the transition would enable a nation of plug-in hybrids or pure EVs. Hey, what about hydrogen? Big Al made no mention of water vaporware. But The Boston Herald reports that a group of scientists have priced-out a U.S. switch to hydrogen-powered vehicles at $200b. No mention was made of the energy source for the fuel, but apparently the the Committee on Assessment of Resource Needs for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies have bigger fish to fry (deep freeze?). "The cost of platinum is approximately 57 percent of the fuel-cell stack costs and represents the greatest challenge to further cost reductions," the study said. "Future platinum supply is a critical issue in forward projections of fuel-cell costs." If it's not one thing, it's another.

Edmunds Inside Line has dropped some cash for spy photos for Honda's new Prius-fighting dedicated hybrid model. And it seems that IL and Honda are in the same boat: they've both dropped good money on something that looks identical to a Prius. Go ahead and follow the link for actual photos, or you can just feast you eyes on any image online of a current Prius, because you're basically getting the same thing either way. KGP photography caught the forthcoming Honda Hybrid undergoing hot weather tests in California's Death Valley, going head-to-head with Honda's Civic Hybrid and a current Prius. They say the new Honda is larger than a Prius and will be a global model, though its name and performance details remain under wraps. Expect its finalized looks to be very close to the fuel-cell FCX Clarity, itself something of a dead ringer for the Prius. It's obvious that Honda wants a model that screams "saving the planet" as it drives by. Still, one can't help wondering whether a hybrid Fit (the standard version of which faces high demand from eco-types) wouldn't have achieved a similar statement with a more flexible package and more familial resemblance.

Why? Non-sales of GM's two-mode hybrid SUVs and pickup have thoroughly discredited the system as an expensive affectation. And although oil burners' adherents couldn't be more rabid if they were bitten by a foaming fox, there's little evidence to suggest that mainstream consumers want to pay the estimated $2k premium for a diesel powerpant AND a buck more per gallon at the pump. Still, what do I know? The Windsor Star says it's two-mode speed ahead for the former Daimler division. "J.D. Power reports that Chrysler intends to put its two-mode hybrid system in the Grand Caravan starting next year. Chrysler will start offering the same system in its Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs next month, at prices starting about $5,000 less than the GM vehicles." Yes, well, that's $4k MORE than a gas version, BEFORE discounts. [NB: June sales reveal that the Durango's dead and the Aspen is deaderer.] As for the re-badged Caravan soon-to-be-unknown as the VW Routan, "Volkswagen could go in two directions… either by offering one of its own four-cylinder diesel engines, which would offer excellent fuel economy but be considered rather underpowered compared to gasoline-powered minivans, or by offering the three-litre Mercedes diesel that Chrysler is currently offering as an option in its Grand Cherokee." Decisions, decisions…

Chrysler set up its "ENVI" electric vehicle (EV) program  last September to develop advanced propulsion technologies for the Pentastar brand. Ten months on, Chrysler's green-eyed program has finally produced a weapon for Chrysler to use in the mounting EV wars: a press release. Today's Detroit Free Press reports that "Chrysler LLC's answer to the much-anticipated Chevrolet Volt could be three to five years away." Which is like telling the kids in the backseat that "we'll be there when we get there" five minutes into a road trip. So why even report on Chrysler's late-starting EV hopes and dreams? Because the dealers in the backseat of Chrysler's road trip to bankruptcy are starting to get antsy for some fuel-efficient product. Says one dealer: "You don't have to have every car — not everyone wants a hybrid — but it's obviously a profound proportion of the industry right now." J.D. Power's mob predicts that Chrysler will launch [non two-mode] hybrid versions of the Caravan, Avenger and and Journey over the next five years. But just like GM, Chrysler wants to do some leapfrogging. "If you want to go ahead and make everything a full hybrid system, fine, but what if you can turn everything into a range-extended vehicle and take it beyond the 2020 campaign for 35 miles per gallon?" asks Chrysler spokesperson Nick Cappa. "The new technology ENVI is developing could do that." The operative word here being could. In five years. Possibly.

Automotive News [sub] reports that the plug-in electric – gas hybrid Volt will be sold as a Chevrolet in the U.S. only. When they go on sale in Europe in 2012, they'll have different styling and wear Opel and Vauxhall badges– even though they'll be built on the same assembly line in Michigan. So why, with GM's push to make Chevy their "global" brand, are they rebadging the Volt for their Euro-brands? GM claims Opel and Vauxhall have larger dealer networks than Chevy. But let's face it… with Chevy's image as a bargain-basement brand in Europe and their current offerings of rebadged Daewoos, how many people would consider buying a high-tech, high-priced electric hybrid at a Chevy dealership in Europe? About as many as would consider buying a Corvette at one. Which is why Corvette is marketed in the Eurozone as a separate brand with Hummers and Cadillacs, and why Volts will become Opels and Vauxhalls. Stimt?

Setting aside the fact that an indeterminate number people buy hybrids for reasons other than saving money (green props, emissions, etc.), what about Ye Olde Hybrid premium? Where are we on that score these days, what with $4 the new $1.50 down at the pump? NADAguides has done a little number crunching on that score. They reckon "only a handful of hybrid cars make financial sense for a consumer who buys a new car every five years." Warning that miles driven and local gas prices are significant variables, NADA conclude that the following gas – electric cars recoup their "extra" cost within the five-year time frame (presented in order of fastest recoupage to slowest): Toyota Camry Hybrid, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Cadillac Escalade Hybrid (just kidding). NADA's press release gives us a big ass chart of local gas prices and uses EPA stats and manufacturers' MSRP. But they don't make mention of the single largest expense of car ownership: depreciation. And here's a question: to what "gas equivalent" did they compare the Prius?

America can't get enough of the Prius. To meet demand, Toyota will begin building the gas – electric four-door in the U.S. in late 2010 (yes, at the same time the Volt is supposed to debut). ToMoCo'll use the plant they're building in Blue Springs, Mississippi– originally destined for Highlander production. Highlanders are moving to the Princeton, Indiana plant starting in late '09. To make room for the Highlander, they'll shift Indiana Tundra production to San Antonio, consolidating Tundra production in Spring 2009. But before they do that, they'll shut down all Tundra production from August 8 until early November (lagging sales). Toyota says they'll continue to provide work for the non-union "team members" at both facilities, as well as those working at the Huntsville, Ala. plant that builds Tundra and Sequoia engines.

In a move bound to raise howls of protest from the Chevy Volt's cheerleaders, GM (along with nine other manufacturers) has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to lower the 4.5 percent annual increases in the CAFE standards projected between 2011 and 2015. To justify the request, GM stated they won't have enough Volts and Vue plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on the road by 2015 to meet the more stringent standards. GM "strongly discouraged" any assumptions that their PHEVs would impact their corporate fleet average. Their NHTSA filing flatly stated "GM's game-changing (extended range electric vehicle) technology should be treated as a low-volume application." (Only GM could use "game changing" and "low volume" in the same sentence.) How low is "low volume"? The Detroit News reports GM plans to build fewer than 200k Volts in the first five years (40k per year average). To make matters worse– for the U.S. PHEV crowd– GM says many of those will be exported. Of course, this all assumes GM will start producing Volt and PHEV Vues in late 2010 as promised. So now, it's put up or shut time. The sad thing is that GM will do neither.

OK, Sharon we'll bite. What's the deal with the Ford Escape Hybrid? Is it true that The Blue Oval Boyz purposely restrict supply because they lose money on every one they sell? And the answer is… "There are regional spots of very high demand," FoMoCo spinmeister Alan Hall told The Detroit News. "We are building to our production plans of 24,000 units per year (of Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids) combined." Sigh. So, surely that's it, yes? I mean we can't very well talk about a shortage of GM's hybrid SUVs, as customers for the two-mode gas – electric behemoths are lined-up none deep. Or can we? "GM's other hybrid trucks, the full-size Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, are hard to find, in part because about half of the automakers' dealers opted not to sell them. Also, GM has produced the vehicles in limited numbers." Aw c'mon Sharon, the reason GM dealers don't have hybrid SUVs on their lots is that nobody wants them. By your own count, GM sold less than 1500 hybrid SUVs so far this year. Suggesting that GM dealers won't stock them because they don't want to "go through special training" is more than disingenuous. It's lying.

GM wants to have a production version of its plug-in electric – gas hybrid Chevrolet Volt ready in time for its centennial this September. Automotive News [sub] cites "people familiar with the project" [Ed: my haven't they been busy today] who say the ailing American automaker is rushing to finish their four-wheeled Hail Mary by September 16, when RenCen celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding by Billy Durant. In spite of the self-imposed deadline, "a GM spokesman declined to comment on the timeline for its next announcements on the Volt, which will include naming a supplier for the vehicle's lithium-ion battery pack." How can GM PR claim a "production version" of the Volt will be ready when they can't even say who'll supply the battery pack eight weeks before the debut? With ease, apparently. GM seems to be banking on the usual fawning media coverage to divert attention from the real issue: crashing sales, a raging cash conflagration and the threat of Chapter 11 just over the horizon. But hey! We'll have a hand-assembled "production" Volt to show off. What more could you want?

In an interview with German mag Welt am Sonntag, Ferrari's President has vowed to reduce the automaker's greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half. [In case you're wondering "who asked?" Ferrari faces the same stringent new European C02 regs as all the other camakers.] What's more, Ferrari's going to build a hybrid-powered supercar. "We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources," Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said with characteristic aristocratic reserve [guessing]. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Luca also "insisted that any future hybrid Ferrari would still be 'fundamentally a Ferrari.'" And somewhat of a FIAT? No! The hybrid "will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1." The Herald reckons LCDM was referring to Ferrari's Kinetic Energy Recycling System (KERS), designed to draw extra power from the brakes (as opposed to the habit of flying around the world in private jets burning hundreds of thousands of liters of avgas). When asked if Ferraristi would look kindly on a hybrid supercar (i.e. pay through the nose to own one), di Montezemolo had no doubts (as if). "Yes, of course," he said. "It's the best sports car in the world." Anyone know the Italian word for chutzpah?

At the recent Toyota Environmental Forum, ToMoCo’s Executive Vice President outlined the company’s five-point plan for a “sustainable mobility society.” Green Car Congress charts the ch-ch-changes. 1. Further development of gasoline- and diesel-fueled combustion engines; 2. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids; 3. Alternative fuels, including synthetics and biofuels; 4. Electric vehicles; and 5. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Masatami Takimoto revealed that gasoline and diesel will remain the corporate mainstay. To that end, Toyota will reduce vehicle size and weight and introduce a new family of engines with start-stop, direct injection, forced induction, HCCI and variable compression. The automaker will hybridize all its vehicles lines by 2020, increasing NiMH batteries density. Li-ions are heading for city electrics and plug-in hybrids; the plug-in Li-on Prius hits the streets in 2010. And here’s the kicker: Toyota’s working to leap-frog Li-ion technology. Takimoto says a practical and cost-efficient EV demands a technological breakthrough. Maybe GM’s Volt isn’t so much a “Hail Mary” pass as an intentional out-of-bounds throw before it gets sacked by the “Sakichi” battery (named after Toyota’s founder).

Credit Justin Berkowitz. On a recent podcast, Justin chastised Ford President Mark Fields for begging for bucks for hybrid batteries. "Stupid schmuck," Justin said [paraphrasing]. "Ford should concentrate on getting small cars like the Focus and the Fiesta to market as soon as possible." And now Bloomberg reports that FoMoCo is committing itself to NOT developing a plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV). Ted Miller, Ford's senior manager of energy storage, said Ford would not take an "overly aggressive approach" [as opposed to a conservatively aggressive approach] to introducing plug-ins. That would be "akin to a Hail Mary." And that's bad. "A Hail Mary means that we're probably going to have to neglect a lot of other things." In other words, Ford can't afford to chase rainbows. Despite the common sense, Bloomie Scribe Greg Bensinger feels compelled to warn his readers that Ford's non-tack might leave the automaker high and dry when GM or Toyota introduce a massively popular PHEV. See? Now that's funny! Meanwhile, Blue Oval Boy Said Deep revealed there'll be a hybrid Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion in Ford showrooms by year's end, for a total of four gas – electric models. A new-ish Mercury! More Jill Wagner ads! Rejoice!

Fresh from their closed door meeting– which included Ford CEO Alan Mulally– presidential hopeful Barack Obama and GM CEO Rick Wagoner took the stage at Carnegie Mellon University to discuss federal handouts. As reported by The Detroit News, Barack set 'em up. "How do we shape our energy future in a way that allows GM to remain competitive, keeps some of the best workers in the world on their jobs [some?] and generates profits for the company and shareholders?" GM's jeffe knocked 'em down. "Wagoner sounded a note of optimism," the DeN notes. "Noting GM's plan to introduce the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt by 2010 and more advanced research on hydrogen fuel-cells. But he said the researchers developing batteries for hybrids and taking hydrogen power from the lab to the highway need federal research money. And he asked for government help to offset the high costs of newer technologies for consumers — aid that traditionally has come in the form of tax credits." "We need to provide some support to make sure these new technologies are affordable to consumers," Wagoner said. Anything else? "Wagoner suggested that the carmakers' 'relatively weak balance sheets' make it difficult for them to make the large capital investments needed to shift production lines to new vehicles." So that "we" is "we the people." As in you. And your tax dollars. To GM. To pay for them to make better cars. In case you hadn't figured that out.

The Atlantic boasts a lengthy article on the Chevy Volt containing some pretty eye-opening revelations from author Jonathan Rauch. "And how, I ask [Volt chief engineer Andrew Farah] over coffee early one February morning in Detroit, is it going… The car, he says, is 10 weeks behind the original schedule. Any more slippage, and the 2010 deadline will be history. Even if no more time is lost, he will have only eight weeks to test the underbody, the car's structural base. Is that enough time? He answers indirectly. In some cars, he says, testing the underbody can take a year." And the mood permeates the entire program: "At the end of February, when I returned to the technical center, the picture looked different. December's ebullience had given way to a sense of strain that was evident even to a tourist. 'We currently are at the limit of our stretch,' one senior battery engineer told me." None of this seems to bode well for the timely arrival or reliability of what is arguably the most advanced automobile ever offered for sale in the U.S. Or for the company that's attempting to pull the miracle out of its ass hat.