I heard from a birdie that talks with certain military R&D folks that gas shortages will accelerate in about 18 months in some key areas of the world. Expect these hybrid "projects" final maturity phases to wrap up around then. Car manufacturers have to keep an eye on cost of ownership or their cars won't sell. So as gas gets more expensive we should expect to have to put less gas in our cars while paying for more electricity. Maybe the cars will come with a solar panel and a small power station to allow you to charge your car? It's all about ROI...
This is step 2 in a 3 step process of phasing out combustion engines for the masses. Early adopters will fund the development of lower cost hybrids so that the usable life of the currently owned cars is exhausted and people will buy the new technology without too much of a fuss. The 3rd phase will be to only offer electric cars. All of this has to line up with changes to the infrastructure for electricity, gas, and commodity goods transportation. Disruptive technologies all follow a similar path.
I'll take 2 hybrid Z's when they come out.
