I confess: I own a Prius (sometimes dubbed the "Pious" because there's such a strong -- and admittedly irritating -- self-righteous streak in some owners). It's not that I think my little hybrid car will single-handedly save the planet, because despite the improvements in fuel efficiency, I'm still burning fossil fuels and putting more carbon into the atmosphere. But it's a start, because hybrids are an economic bridge to the electric cars of the future, according to Michael Tamor, an executive technical leader at Ford Research who spoke this afternoon on the re-electrification of the automobile.

"A consumer product will always succeed or fail based on customer value," said Tamor. Indeed, the commercial success of the Prius -- and of the emerging fleet of other hybrid vehicles, from Ford and other automakers -- is due in large part to the fact that people believe they are reaping enough benefits (environmentally and in fuel efficiency) to justify the higher price tag. (The high price tag of the planned Tesla all-electric roadster pretty much guarantees it will be a niche luxury item for the foreseeable future, because the critical cost-to-benefit ratio just isn't there.) With gas prices soaring, and more attention focusing on climate change and the need for energy alternatives to fossil fuels, the time is ripe for the hybrid to make its mark -- and pave the way for the next generation of (possibly fully electric) vehicles.

Here's a fun fact I learned from Tamor: in 1900, Manhattan had as many horses as people crammed onto the tiny island, because steam still reigned supreme and electricity was the hot new up-and-coming technology. The internal combustion (IC) engine wasn't a serious contender for transportation back then. But all those horses took their toll: New York City got tired of shoveling 1.5 million tons of horse manure off its streets every year, along with over 75,000 gallons or horse urine, and the inevitable carcasses of deceased animals. City officials began casting about for an alternative means of propulsion.

The early prototypes for electric-powered vehicles seemed ideal. Yet somehow, within 10 years, the IC engine completely dominated Manhattan's transport sector, thanks to a host of advantages that added up to giving better value to the consumer. Sure, the earliest electric vehicles were quiet and clean, but those using the IC engine had greater range, could be instantly recharged, had lower operating costs, and better reliability. The growing availability of gasoline fuel clinched the deal, and internal combustion has been the workhorse of the transportation sector ever since.

GM's Jonas Bereisa thinks the industry needs another revolution, a "new automotive DNA" to fully make the switch from IC engines to electric propulsion via electric motors, fuel cells and batteries. Moving from the mechanical systems and petroleum-reliant vehicles of the old paradigm to electrical (and electronic) systems reliant on alternative fuels such as hydrogen, will require a complete re-invention of the automobile, he said.

The company seems to be putting its money where its mouth is, investing heavily in R&D to make that paradigm shift. Their progress can be seen in their latest prototype concept car, the Sequel, which provided the company with the much-needed proof of principle that they could viably engineer fuel cells cars. GM is unveiling its Chevy Equinox fuel cell car next week, and in the interests of learning how the model fares under real-world driving conditions, over 100 of the cars are being provided to test drives in California, New York City, and Washington, DC. Next on the design board is the planned Chevy Volt, a concept car that will come in two iterations: an extended range electrical vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle.

Of course, one will need easy access to refueling stations, although Bereisa points out that most of us are closer to a hydrogen production facility than we think. Oil refineries have moved to heavier petroleum products, with a corresponding need for hydrogen in the refinement process, so the oil industry has invested heavily in building hydrogen facilities all over the world; they are particularly dense in Europe. "We have the infrastructure in place, we just need to expand it," he said, although there's still the challenge of how to get it into the hands of the consumer via fast refueling.

Ford has chosen to attack the problem from two sides: decrease fuel consumption, and increase renewable sources of non-fossil carbon, such as ethanol or biodiesel. Even with that two-pronged approach, says Tamor, we're still left with an energy gap, and that's where the more expensive fuel cells could play a role (GM is betting on it). But he thinks we might be able to close the gap with the plug-in hybrids currently under development, if we can get the right confluence of factors. "It will take a combination of battery cost breakthroughs, stable electricity prices, and extremely high gas prices to restore the plug-in hybrid's cost advantage," he said.

To be competitive, the plug-in hybrid must have a 400-mile range, a system mass of less than 200 kilograms, and a refill time of 10 minutes or less. The technology doesn't yet come close to those targets, alas: the lightest lithium-ion batteries are still too heavy, and it's not yet feasible to build a refueling station with the power generating capabilities to recharge four vehicles at once in less than 10 minutes each. The battery value just isn't there either: Tamor estimates it needs to be about one-tenth the current price. Still, most drivers in the US make daily trips of 50 miles or less, at least according to Real Vehicle Usage surveys conducted in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Spokane, WA. A plug-in hybrid could be just the ticket for those kinds of drivers.