Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler, said that Chrysler plans to introduce a Fiat in the U.S. powered by natural gas. Bloomberg/Businessweek quotes Marchionne: "Natural gas engines offer a better way to cut emissions because they are cheaper than competing technologies."

Fiat is the leader in Europe in natural gas engines with 80% share of methane powered cars and 55% of light commercial vehicles. Alfredo Altavilla, quoted in Bloomberg/Businessweek said natural gas is a "more affordable solution" as it is less expensive to produce transport and distribute compared with other fuel sources.

The company is not profitable, hasn't made a profit since it was a spark in Elon Musk's brain. It has a super electric go cart, I mean sports car, that is very fun to drive and costs over $100,000. It's a halo car. But the company doesn't sell enough to make money. It only draws attention. And it's done that well.

Nissan has launched one of the first interactive iAd mobile marketing campaigns for the new Apple, Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 4, and it's taking the chance to promote its new all-electric Leaf passenger car. Although hybrid vehicles have been around in the U.S. for years (think Toyota Prius), all-electric cars have been limited to those teeny-tiny, mileage-limited vehicles. Nissan wants to change that with the four-door Leaf sedan.

Carlos Ghosn,

Renault and Nissan are installing enough capacity to build 150,000 cars in Japan, 200,000 in Europe and 200,000 in the U.S. They are plunging headlong into the market, claiming to be the first companies to build and sell fully powered electric cars.

Unlike hybrids, such as Toyota's (TM) Prius, electric cars do not have an engine to keep them running when their power runs out.

If you still doubt that the next bubble will be green, check out the latest from California. Green and clean technology gigs surged 36% from 1995 to 2008, beating the state's overall 13% job-growth rate for the same period, according to Silicon Valley-based research firm Collaborative Economics. Since California's on the leading edge of this sector, many see it as a sign of things to come for the rest of the country.

As of January 2008, there were only 159,000 green jobs in California, less than 1% of the state's total, following year-over-year growth of 5%. But, during that same period, total jobs in the state dropped 1%, suggesting that jobs in sustainability just might be more sustainable. Though these may seem like small numbers, keep in mind that the green sector job market is twice the size of the state's biotech presence and two-thirds the size of the software industry.

Forget about running out of oil. A Deutsche Bank analyst wrote: "The world will never run out of oil."

You are probably wondering why the analyst was able to make this prediction. The foremost reason is that we are becoming more efficient. This should keep prices in check at about $65.00 per barrel, down from this year's $80.00 per barrel.

The next question is how do you know that the world is becoming more efficient. The Energy Information Administration uses a metric called: "energy intensity." Energy intensity measures the amount of oil used in relation to the size of the economy.

Look at what the computer did for communication. We are now is the midst of a revolution in technology.

Now innovation moves to the auto industry. Electric and hybrid cars have the potential to take us off the "oil standard," at least in a major way. Imagine the money you would save if you were not held hostage to the oil cartel.

President Obama has granted $2.4 billion for research in the development of electric/hybrid cars. There will be 48 different projects in more than 20 states as part of the American Recovery Act.

Although Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) was first out of the gate with a gas/electric hybrid vehicle back in 1997 with the Prius, the holy grail for much of the consumer automotive industry has been a 100% electric vehicle that lasts a while on a charge, is big and roomy, and has a long range.

Oh, and it must remain comparable (read: affordable) in price to its fossil fuel cousins. The former GM's Chevy Volt project was a very good stab at this (who knows where that project is heading, though), but what about world automotive leader Toyota?

Bright and early this morning, Ford (NYSE: F) announced that it is going to invest $550 million to transform its Michigan Truck Plant to a more modern small-car plant. The plant will produce a new Ford Focus, which will be available next year.

In 2011 the automaker will begin producing its battery-electric Focus in an effort to meet its promise to deliver four new electric vehicles in America by 2012. The plant was originally used to produce the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, both massive SUVs. It was one of the most prolific and profitable Ford operation during the SUV explosion of the late 90s, and the move symbolizes a strategic shift by the American icon.