$50 barrels of oil and hybrid car demand

It started when the Toyota Prius won MotorTrend's Car of the Year, then the Ford Escape hybrid won the North American International Auto Show's Truck of the Year, and now the Honda Accord hybrid has been picked as the Best Family Sedan of the year according to Consumer Reports.

Hybrid cars are reliable and rated well in customer satisfaction surveys; for example, more than 94% of Prius owners would buy another Prius.

Momentum is building. The revolution is coming.

The Lexus RX400h hybrid, due out in about a month, has already sold almost half of this year's total production before even hitting showrooms, and interest in the Toyota Highlander hybrid is nothing short of phenomenal.

Demand for hybrids is growing, and so too are the costs of oil.

Many analysts have stated that gasoline prices would have to rise to $3.50 per gallon, a price which seemed totally unrealistic just a couple of months ago, to make hybrids cost effective. In today's geopolitical oil scene; however, California might hit those numbers this year, with the rest of the country not terribly far behind.

While those prices might be temporary, it is definitely going to make more Americans take hybrids much more seriously. Unfortunately, there will be far too few hybrids, and other clean vehicles, available.

At least you'll be able to get a good deal on a huge SUV, you just won't be able to afford to drive it.