A couple years ago it was cheaper to get mechanical work from internal combustion than the grid. Your plug-in hybrid might not pollute the city but it was cheaper to not plug in and instead use the engine.
Now it's cheaper, especially for "stationary" applications, to get mechanical work from electric motors powered by the grid.
Under no circumstances, regardless of any plausible developments in science or technology, regardless of the growth of any green industry, will the cost of liquid fuel cease to increase exponentially.
In 4 years the energy cost/mile of pluging in will be 1/3 that of ICE.
This is a Big Event and it seemed to pass without any comment whatsoever. Maybe everyone is in a state of denial. Maybe politicians and other monied interests are busy are figuring out how to save their own fannies while abandoning everyone else. It's hard to tell.
Algae diesel is urgently needed but, as stated above, it _can not_ bring down or even control spiraling liquid fuel costs.
Even if the biodiesel industry could be fully developed this afternoon most of it would be devoted to aviation and chemical feedstocks.
As much as possible necessities need to start being powered by the grid.
Farm tractors and locomotives need to be powered by the grid ASAP.
Bret Cahill