Government boost key to biofuel future

Biofuel companies are determined to become viable on their own but want continued government assistance if oil companies receive assistance, too.

Conventional liquid fuels have never been under siege as much as they are now and from more angles of attack than ever. Lithium, hydrogen, hydraulics, and biofuels-all seem destined to eat into oil's near monopoly as a vehicle fuel. Few people, however, are predicting that any or all of those alternative technologies will topple oil as the energy source of choice anytime soon. Views differ as to when (and in some cases, whether) alternatives' current niche positions will evolve into something more.

Based on the idea that over-reliance on oil, especially Middle East sourced oil, is unwise, the U.S. government is providing support for all alternatives to one degree or another. With several pure- and partial-electric vehicle models recently introduced to the mass market, lithium-based energy-storage technology has finally arrived. Hydrogen and hydraulic-hybrid technology are still in the R&D stage.