A new report from R.L. Polk & Co. says sales of hybrid vehicles rose 38 percent in 2007, compared to the previous year. The report also points out that better technologies and infrastructure are needed for ethanol- and biodiesel-powered vehicles to live up to their sales potential.
This press release from the automotive marketing and research company says the economical Toyota Prius, which runs on gas and charges batteries as it drives, still leads the pack with just more than 50 percent of all hybrid sales:
“Auto buyers are benefiting from new hybrid launches, and fleecing of old models that didn’t work. There is a lot of excitement being generated within the industry as manufacturers adjust plans to adapt to consumer demand,” said Lonnie Miller, director of Industry Analysis at Polk. “While the Toyota Prius has a stronghold on the midsize car hybrid segment, the Toyota Highlander and Ford Escape share leadership positions in the SUV hybrid segment. As hybrid buyers migrate within a brand, manufacturers have to be prepared to meet their expectations for offerings if they want consumers to remain loyal.”
While most of the market continues to see hybrid models enabled by various forms of gas-electric powertrains, the entire hybrid segment will evolve as other technologies are developed and tested. With the end-goal of providing more fuel-efficient vehicles, future offerings will expand beyond the current generation of hybrid models.
“Hybrids are a great foray into the world of fuel-efficiency for many buyers,” said Miller. “Unfortunately, we still have an uphill battle for diesel and ethanol adoption given the need for more consumer education and improvements with filling station infrastructure. It will be interesting to see how more advanced technologies progress this whole category, but they can’t come soon enough.”
Ironically, oil-rich Oklahoma had the largest increase in hybrid sales… up 148 percent! In addition, high gas prices seem to be pushing the hybrid markets in places such as Los Angeles and San Francisco where drivers are putting up with some of the highest prices in the country. Those markets combined make up nearly 20 percent of all hybrid sales.
Electric meters are running backwards as Rock Port, Missouri became the first town in the country to run on 100 percent wind power.
“Rock Port officially declared its energy independence today,” said Tom Carnahan, president of the St. Louis-based Wind Capital Group that brought the Loess Hills Wind Farm to fruition.
A new analysis of America’s ethanol industry shows dramatic efficiency gains in ethanol production have been made in the last five years. 
“This is not your father’s ethanol industry anymore,” said 
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear visited the headquarters of Alltech this weekend for the ribbon cutting of the company’s new Nutrigenomics Center. Alltech is an international company involved in a variety of enterprises from animal nutrition and biotechnology to horse racing and malt whiskey. The governor says everyone is very excited about Alltech’s new venture into biofuels.
Alltech president Dr. Pearse Lyons says he was humbled to receive one of the three new DOE grants announced last week and he is confident about the project, which will cost an estimated $70 million. “In 15-18 months, we will be using what we call solid state fermentation to go forward cracking cellulose to ethanol,” said Lyons. “And we will use 30 percent corn stover or switchgrass.”
Independent regional fuel distributor and specialty refiner Direct Fuels has opened a biodiesel facility at its Euliss refinery in North Texas.
Biofuel maker Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc. has updated the progress on its Seneca, Illinois biodiesel plant.
A commercial launch company in Massachusetts will run some of its boats this summer on biodiesel.
Mid-Harbor Launch plans to begin using a mixture called B20, and possibly higher mixes, on three or four of its new launches for the upcoming boating season.
Among the projects is a grant of up to $30 million to help pay for a $70 million cellulosic ethanol plant to be built in Springfield, Kentucky.
Without the expansion of biofuel production and use in the US, Brazil and elsewhere, world oil demand would increase and so would the price. Merrill Lynch analyst Francisco Blanch 
POET Biorefining – Alexandria is the company’s second plant in the state of Indiana and Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman told the crowd on hand for the official ribbon cutting that the new plant further strengthens Indiana as a national leader in the production of biofuels. “Governor Daniels and I congratulate POET on the grand opening of their second plant in our state,” said Skillman. “This plant will stimulate our agriculture industry, create new jobs to Madison County residents and provide a clean and home-grown fuel to Hoosiers.”
Indiana Corn Marketing Council executive director Chris Novak says the new plant “represents the many positives that a robust biofuels industry can bring to our state, including a new market for area corn farmers, new jobs, a cleaner environment and less dependence on foreign oil.” The plant will utilize 22 million bushels of corn from the area to produce 65 million gallons of ethanol and 178,000 tons of distillers grains per year.