Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) announced yesterday that it has developed a new type of fuel cell hybrid vehicle that can travel more then 500 miles on a single tank of hydrogen. That's right instead of the limited mileage from a pure electric car or a gas-required hybrid vehicle this one just needs hydrogen to hit the 500 mile mark.

Fuel cell vehicles, which have no emissions and are one of the most promising technologies for personal transportation, just got that much better. The deal killer for all hybrid vehicle manufacturers is this: there is no gasoline internal combustion engine needed. Toyota's model requires an electric motor and a hydrogen fuel cell. That's it. The Japanese automaker even said the vehicle would be available in Japan this year, but that there are no plans to distribute it outside that country.

Why not, Toyota? Worried about not being able to supply the demand customers globally may have? Having a zero-gas alternative in some of the most gas-dependent consuming countries in the world would really solidify your track record as the auto manufacturer who "gets it." You've already surpassed General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) as the world's largest auto manufacturer. Why not make that crown quite a bit bigger?

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) joined the slew of companies this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas which touted their technological advances and gave insight into what was ahead. CEO Rick Wagoner even took the opportunity to introduce a Cadillac concept vehicle during his keynote speech that uses fuel-cell and battery technology for propulsion. Translated: no fossil fuels needed.

The Cadillac concept is powered by the promising fuel-cell technology along with lithium batteries. Additionally, it will be built on the same platform as GM's previously-announced and uber-anticipated Volt 100% electric vehicle scheduled to roll off assembly lines sometime before or in 2010. Wagoner even drove a Volt onto the stage where he gave his keynote. If that's not grandstanding for the future of the auto industry, I'm not sure what is.

The Cadillac Provoq will have all the style and luxury of the Cadillac brand if it makes its way from concept to reality, to which Wagoner said "it is fitting that our premium brand would be propelled by our most advanced technology." The details pit this as not a bad auto performer all things considered: 300 mile range before re-fueling, 0 to 60 in under nine seconds and a 100 mph top speed. It's good to see GM really promoting a green vehicle agenda instead of $2,500 DVD navigation systems linked to Bluetooth smartphones that dress you and cook your breakfast while you drive. Well, something like that anyway.

General Motors (NYSE: GM), believe it or not, is working toward alternative propulsion systems as energy prices continue to be seen at new highs (while still showing wild volatility), and the electric Volt is just one of its efforts. What will power the electric vehicles of the future? That's a billion-dollar question, since batteries are probably the largest barrier to really commercializing the fully electric vehicle -- from any manufacturer.

GM, according to sources this week, wants its fuel cell technology -- a leading contender for high-energy batteries -- to be commercialized as soon as possible. If fuel cells could be refined even further than where they are today, the economic and practical viability of totally electric cars could be seen soon. So far, talk like that has been full of hot air. But then again, automakers see pent-up demand for this technology as gas prices go absolutely nuts. Oil stands right at $100 a barrel right now. You make the call.

If GM does not get there first, you can bet the competition will -- and will feed the insatiable consumer demand that lies waiting in the proverbial wings. The good news here is that innovation and speed will happen as the race to be first in this "fuel cell" space becomes more heated. As history has shown, in the end, the winner will be the consumer, much to the chagrin of oil producers.

It's probably old news already to most of you but it bears repeating that Mazda, a division of Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), has announced that it shall completely scrap all 4,703 vehicles which were on board the ill fated Cougar Ace freighter that ran into trouble off the coast of Alaska on July 23, 2006. Initially, Mazda had announced that the vehicles would not be sold as new but left the matter open for discussion pending investigation by corporate engineers and others.

While this scrapping of vehicles is certainly a kick in the pants to Mazda and its insurers, it shows me that Mazda and its parent company, Ford, don't consider short-term profit to be paramount to long-term company image and consumer perception. It's possible that Mazda could have marketed all those 4,703 vehicles as "not like new" and never had a problem, but it's equally likely that such a move could have come back to bite them in a major way. I applaud this decision. Kudos to Mazda and Ford.

On a different note, Mazda has just made delivery of its first two gasoline / hydrogen rotary powered automobiles. These RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars allow the driver to choose between the two fuels "on the fly." The rotary power plants have long been a staple of Mazda engineering and from what I read in the blogosphere, Mazda enthusiasts are quite pleased with them. The vehicles have been leased to corporate fleet customers in Japan and will be closely monitored as a part of the Japan Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Demonstration Project. Both the manufacturers and the recipients are very pleased with this accomplishment.

Read more about this Mazda accomplishment at www.autoblog.com